Armando + Me Fine Visit WakeMed Children’s Hospital

There are few things in this world as radiant as a child’s smile. But what happens when you take that smile and combine it with a seven-foot tall basketball star? (Honestly, we don’t know what you call it, but we saw a ton of it last week at WakeMed Children’s Hospital.)

Me Fine has established a partnership with UNC basketball star and All-American Armando Bacot. One of the major components that Armando wanted for our work together, was a chance to use his platform to make a meaningful impact on the families and kids that Me Fine serves. What better way than to bring the big guy to one of our partner hospitals for some play time?

The WakeMed Child Life Staff helped plan out a full morning for the Tar Heel hooper. Armando helped us drop off several donations of toys, arts and crafts, and re-stocks of sensory kit and clothing items that the Child Life team shared they were in need of and would greatly benefit their patients and families. He shot some mini-hoops in the Behavioral Health unit, spent some time with patients on the Pediatric Rehab floor, and then took the rest of the morning to visit with kids and their parents in patient rooms. Of course, there were plenty of pictures and autographs: Armando posed for photos and signed tons of custom Me Fine miniature basketballs for fans of all ages and passed out toys and distraction items to help patients adjust with their hospital stay. All were excited to meet with him whether they were fans or just happy that someone special was coming to visit them during a difficult time. Armando easily connected and established a quick rapport with everyone he met which truly made a positive impact on patients, families, and staff.

Personally, we are really pumped for how the visit turned out. One of our major goals for this partnership was to create a meaningful space for Armando to have authentic connections with the people we serve. It was clear from talking with the big man that we achieved that goal, and this is merely part of building the relationship that we hope will bring lots of awareness to what Me Fine families go through.

Most importantly? It was a summer morning brightened by a lot of smiles.