Moments That Matter Most at Asante Rogue Regional Hospital

With a trailer full and a long drive ahead, we set out knowing this would be more than just another hospital visit. Our trailer was packed to the brim as our Executive Director, Alison Hicks, pulled out of the warehouse for the nearly five-hour drive south. It’s a long drive, but always worth it. We know that behind those hospital walls are children and families who could use a moment to breathe, to smile, to simply be something other than a patient.

Sophia Takla, one of our longtime volunteers and current reigning Miss Oregon Volunteer, along with Kai de Mello-Folsom, joined Alison on-site, ready to support and help bring the experience to life—including capturing pieces of the day as we’re able.

Sophia and Alison are seasoned in this work. They know how to step into these spaces with care, how to read the room, how to gently offer something as simple—and as powerful—as choice. But no matter how many visits they’ve made, no matter how many hours they’ve poured into this work, nothing fully prepares you for what you’ll feel walking into each room.

This visit was no exception.

There were babies. New moms. Families navigating moments that feel both fragile and overwhelming. And yet, in the middle of it all, there was space for something else.

Moments where something small can make a big difference.

We thoughtfully prepare bags filled with toys and accessories, then invite each child—and their siblings—to choose a costume that feels magical or brings them joy. Nearby, cozy pajama pants, silly slippers, and soft onesies offer comfort in a different way—simple things that, in that moment, can mean everything.

The transformation is immediate. Shoulders soften. Eyes light up. A child who moments before was quiet or unsure begins to come alive, not as a patient, but as a superhero, a princess, a character of their own choosing. When a wig from The Magic Yarn Project is placed just right, completing the look, you can see it—the shift. The moment.

These visits are not about treatment. They are not about illness.

They are about choice.
They are about movement, imagination, and the freedom to play.
They are about the kind of laughter that fills a room and lingers long after we leave.

Kai was there to help capture pieces of the day as we’re able. While hospital guidelines don’t always allow us to photograph every moment, the ones we witness stay with us long after we leave. They’re carried in our hearts, shaping every visit that follows.

We are deeply grateful to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute Community Partnership Program for helping make this program possible in a rural community. Because of their support, we are able to continue showing up for families in these moments, bringing not just costumes and toys, but something far greater.

A chance to feel like a kid again.

Even here.