We thank our Healthcare Heroes for their selfless dedication to caring for their patients during the coronavirus pandemic. In a show of appreciation, a Maryland therapy dog is delivering Healing Hero kits to ICU nurses, and we think it’s wonderful.
The therapy dog named Loki is a two-year-old Rottweiler who works at the Maryland Medical Center. “Dogtor Loki” as she is known normally visited patients in Baltimore three days a week, before Covid-19.
Her mom, Caroline Benzel, is a second year medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “I got accepted into medical school around the same time I got her," Benzel told WJLA.
She realized she wanted a therapy dog after her grandfather fell ill and spent a month in the hospital. "My grandfather was sick and I lived with him in his hospital room for a month,” Caroline explained. “When he would see this dog, he would light up."
As the virus spread, Caroline was pulled out of school and from the front lines. Sadly, she could no longer take Loki into the hospital to visit patients or nurses. In an attempt to fill the void, they began face timing with nurses and patients.
During those virtual visits, Caroline noticed that the medical staff who was wearing personal protective equipment 24/7 were getting rashes and irritation from the masks. Deciding that she and Loki could help, she began making the Healing Hero kits.
They began collecting donations of easy to get items such as lotion, chapstick, Goldbond and tea. She also started an Amazon wish list. "So far we have raised over 1,400 total kits. We are blown away by the kindness and generosity of people" Caroline wrote on Loki's Facebook page.
She posted on Loki the Therapy Rottweiler’s Facebook page:
“(P)update on HERO HEALING KITS:
So far we have raised over 1,400 total kits, but are closer to +1,600 incomplete kits The donations keep coming in!! Needless to say, we are blown away by the kindness and generosity of people.
We will be distributing the majority of these to 4 different hospitals over the next week. AND THAT IS JUST THE BEGINNING. .
Further, the hope was people would see what we are trying to do and be inspired to do the same in their respective areas, and that HAS HAPPENED! @jkrevitz and her fabulous momma bear Becky in Philadelphia wanted to do the same, and have already collected almost 200 #herohealingkits in a matter of days (pics of their progress above). We also have inspired others to do similar projects in NJ, NC, and other parts of Maryland. .
THIS was was the dream, and it is coming to fruition: not only to help frontline workers/first responders, but to inspire others to do the same in their counties and states for their respective hospitals. .
Thank you again for all the love and support shown through all of this. We wanted to show our people keeping us safe some love, and because of you, we have been able to do that.
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If you would like to donate, the amazon wishlist link is in the bio, or DM for our Venmo. Or if you would even share our story, we would be so grateful .
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3P2NCLM3HH6DR.”
If you would like to start Hero Healing Kits in your area, please reach out and I will help you in any way I can. To see our original story that started all of this, go to @dogsofcharmcity for her article “Not All Heroes Wear Capes”
We think Loki and Caroline are both heroes. Thank you for all you and for inspiring others to do the same. Please share their story with your family and friends.
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