A five-year-old boy lay in his hospital bed at UNM Children's Hospital, his oxygen levels dangerously low. He'd been there for a week, surrounded by monitors and medical equipment, far from everything familiar and safe.
And he kept asking for one thing: his train set from home.
He asked over and over. His father tried to explain why he couldn't have it—the logistics, the hospital rules, the complications of a medical crisis. But the boy kept asking.
A nurse overheard. And she brought him a miniature train set.
"Just like that, everything shifted," said the boy's father, who later shared the story with an Albuquerque Rotarian. "The fear softened. The room felt a little less overwhelming."
The Rotary Club of Albuquerque Sandia collected 2,651 servings of pet food and $100 in cash donations during their Pet Food Drive on Saturday, April 4—ensuring low-income seniors in Albuquerque won't have to choose between feeding themselves and feeding their companion animals.
