A Canton family who spent countless holidays at their daughter's hospital bedside is turning their difficult experience into hope for other families facing similar challenges.
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Tiffany Long and her family are partnering with Canton and Northville fire departments to collect toys for families with children receiving care at the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital during the holiday season.
The initiative stems from the Long family's own experience with their daughter Paisley, now 7, who was diagnosed with Scimitar syndrome, a rare congenital heart condition.
"She spent pretty much her whole first year in the hospital. Her first Christmas was in the hospital and that was a really hard time," Long said.
Paisley's medical journey included multiple cardiac arrests and extended hospital stays that showed the family how meaningful small gestures can be during difficult times.
"She had gone through ... a second cardiac arrest, and at that point, we were like we didn't know what was gonna happen. It was just really traumatizing," Long said.
The toy drive allows community members to drop off donations at Canton Fire Station 1 on South Canton Center Road through Tuesday, Dec. 9.
"They have a big drop-off box when you walk into Station 1 on Canton Center, and people can just bring toys," Long said.
Captain David Holloway with the Canton Fire Department said the initiative aligns with their mission of community service.
"The more gifts that we can collect and we can deliver in a fire truck to U of M Mott, we just thought it would be good," Holloway said.
The fire department regularly supports community members through its charity foundation, providing hotel stays and clothing for families displaced by house fires.
"We love giving back. We have a charity foundation. We give back when people get burned out of a home. We'll put them up in a hotel. We'll get them clothes. So this is just one other thing we can give back to the community," Holloway said.
For Long, the toy drive represents a way to give back to the hospital staff and community that supported her family during Paisley's treatment.
"They've done so much for us and our family through the last 7 years of basically living there, you know, not knowing if we were ever going to leave there," Long said.
Long emphasized how isolating hospital stays can be for families during the holidays.
"It's hard on families. Your family has to split up, you're stuck there, you know, it's lonely. You don't get to be with family and do all the things you wanna do," Long said.
Community members can drop off toy donations at Station one in Canton (1100 S Canton Center Dr) or purchase toys online through this link. All donations will be delivered by fire truck to families at Mott Children's Hospital.
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