Godfathers / Godmothers
The Paint a Smile Foundation wishes to thank those persons who, through their commitment, generosity and enthusiasm, contribute to the achievement and development of its mission by appointing them “Godfathers” and “Godmothers” of the action they supported or initiated.
...........................................................................................................................................
"The association "Les Ptits Courageous" ("The Little Courageous Ones") was created five years ago by parents of children with faciocraniosynostosis to support families and improve hospital conditions of the children. Our children are multi-operated and hospitalisations are long and difficult. I am the mother of Tom, 8 years old, operated a dozen times at the Necker Hospital. We live 400 kms away; hospitalisations are very painful, especially because of the separation from family and the lack of visits. We spent long moments contemplating the frescoes of the Neurosurgery Service of the former hospital,Tom still remembers it perfectly. It was for us moments to escape, where each time I visited, I could tell different stories; then when Tom grew up we could have fun watching the little extraordinary and beautiful details.
When the new hospital opened, we found ourselves certainly in a very modern place, new, and clean - but with huge corridors and mouse grey walls not conducive to high morale; now everyone knows how important morale is to recover more quickly. When told about this wonderful project, the association immediately wanted to get involved. The work was titanic, artists are magicians and the result is breathtaking. What a thrill for me deep in my mom's heart to discover these beautiful frescoes, to imagine the stars in the eyes of the children and their parents, and to think how these paintings will soften their often painful daily lives. A festival of colour, sublime figures, staged and incredible detail, I cannot even find the words to express what I felt at the discovery of the new unit.
The association "Les Ptits Courageous" is happy to have been able to contribute to this magnificent project, and on behalf of all of the children, we thank the Paint a Smile team, the donors and all of the persons who were mobilised for this project.
Thanks to all of you, the hospitalisation of our children will be rich in colour and in stories..."
Laëtitia, Godmother of the decoration project in the paediatric neurosurgery unit of the Necker Children’s Hospital, AP-HP, Paris
Representative of the “Les Ptits Courageux” association
...........................................................................................................................................
"I experienced very moving moments at the Necker Hospital... I became a mom for the first time.
Mother of an exceptional little boy who had surgery twice in his first 6 months of life, in the service of Professor Bonnet, for a heart defect.
I smiled, laughed, cried, cried a lot, doubted, prayed, hoped, dreamed, matured, grew, reflected...
and these weeks in the hospital made me want. Want to live life to the fullest with my family,
want to give energy to other parents, want to help them get through these difficult hardships,
want to beautify the hospital stay of children, want to improve the working environment of the nursing staff...
Want to help everyone to dream and to get out of those grey, unwelcoming walls...
A few beautiful meetings later, with the extremely generous assistance from an unparalleled donor,
SC Johnson, the company in which I started my career and where I spent 3 unforgettable years, we launched an amazing project to give a new face to the paediatric cardiology unit.
The Consultation, Hospitalisation, Rehabilitation... 3 units, tens of metres of corridors,
games rooms, waiting rooms, dining rooms, doors, ceilings...
The painters of the Paint a Smile Foundation have worked, a lot, long, hard −
but always with their hearts...
Today they have given a new soul to these corridors that they have dressed in sweetness and poetry.
I find the result magnificent. The most magical is the look in the eyes of the children and their parents when they see the paintings ... We are there; there are stars in their eyes... they too dream...
So this makes me want only one thing... to pass on that magic and repeat it elsewhere!”
Myrtille, Godmother of the decoration project in the paediatric cardiology unit
(hospitalisation, consultations, reanimation) of the Necker Children’s Hospital, AP-HP, Paris
...........................................................................................................................................
"A beautiful rejuvenating diet, with 25 energised walkers, 120 highly motivated children and 80 vitaminised runners on the menu;
all sprinkled, once again, with an outstanding staff!!!
What lovely energy circulated in the Colours Team that first Saturday in December in Geneva!
To savour copiously!"
Nathalie, Godmother of the Colours Team
