Christmas in July at Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital: Dozens of students prepare gifts for young patients

It was looking a lot like Christmas in July at Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital on Friday where hundreds of bags were filled with gifts for young patients.

The initiative was spearheaded by dozens of students from Coda — a non-profit organization led by medical students in collaboration with the Canadian Cancer Society and the Quebec Cancer Foundation.

“Everyone helps each other,” said volunteer, Fatima Ibrahim. “And encourages each other to do good.”

Their goal: to raise funds and awareness for cancer research and patient support services.

The non-profit has grown to include 13 academic institutions across Quebec and Ontario, including every faculty of medicine in Quebec.

“We’ve grown quite large,” said Coda Communications Director, Alexandre Siou. “This big growth in size really just shows you know the dedication of our of our students through our cause and really the impact that we’ve had on our community.”

Now in its third edition, their gift bag initiative is set to bring smiles and positivity to young hospital patients.

“I’m happy to see that like the tradition can keep going,” said volunteer, Syme Kharbotly. “It makes me happy to be able to make someone else happy.”

Around 50 volunteers were putting the bags together. Some even assembled stuffed animals on their own and sparked their creativity by giving each toy a name, age, and personality — a fun way to personalize the plushies for the children.

“We have different kind of animals so there’s the elephants, little bunnies, we also have some cats, there’s a bit of everything,” explained Kharbotly.

The effort began two years ago with the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

This year, they are set to deliver the gifts on July 25 to over 200 hospitalized children at Sainte-Justine.