LANCASTER — Despite a chilly wind, dozens of people turned out, Monday night, to celebrate the holiday season, and in honor of one very special former patient, at Antelope Valley Medical Center’s annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
The tree, tucked into the space between wings of the hospital, next to the entrance, is gaily decorated for the holidays, and, when CEO Ed Mirzabegian flipped the switch, it blazed alight with holiday cheer.
The tree is no ordinary Christmas tree. It was planted in honor and memory of a frequent patient who won the hearts of those who knew him, former pediatrics nurse Debbie Ogan said.
Ricky Moore, and his younger sister, came to the hospital for treatment for complications from cystic fibrosis, a hereditary disease that affects the lungs and digestive tract.
At that time, in the 1980s, most children with cystic fibrosis did not live to age 10, Ogan said.
Because the disease requires intensive treatments and frequent, lengthy hospital stays, the Moore children became part of the hospital family, she said.
Moore’s sister, Filipa, died at age 4, but Ricky defied the odds and lived to age 16.
“He was a really special part of our unit. He spent a lot of time in the hospital,” Ogan said.
“(We) saw him through all the ups and downs of childhood, all the ups and downs of early adolescence. We were the ones there with him when he had his heart broken, when he had a crush on somebody,” she said.
Ogan called Moore “a delightful boy,” if a bit of a troublemaker who liked to play tricks on the nurses.
“I learned a lot as a young nurse taking care of him. I learned a lot from him, his family, his mother,” she said.
When he died, in 1994, “we lost a member of our family,” she said.
Looking for a lasting way to remember him, a small pine tree was planted in Moore’s honor and memory. It’s where it could be seen from the pediatric unit’s playroom, Ogan said. When it was big enough, staff would add Christmas decorations to delight the patients who could see it out the window.
That tree now towers over the three-story building next to it, and the lights and decorations are a way for the entire AVMC community to mark the season.
As part of the ceremony, staff read “I Am an Angel,” a poem written by Moore, shortly before his death. The poem is also on a memorial plaque at the base of the tree.
The evening was capped with a performance of holiday songs by the Palmdale High School Chamber Singers, followed by hot drinks and cookies.
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