Heart of gold delivering hope
He doesn’t wear a red suit, have a white beard, or even a hint of a round belly, but for the maternity unit of Logan Hospital, Joshua Lang is Santa Claus.
For 13 of his 16 years, he’s delivered gifts to the families of premature babies to put a smile on the faces of anxious parents, and to give them hope.
“He’s just got a heart of gold,” Josh’s mum Leza said.
“At the age of three, he announced he wanted to give presents to the babies,”
And so, a Christmas tradition was born.
“Josh wants to let parents of premmie babies know, there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Leza said.
Josh himself was born premature. He came into the world at 27.5 weeks gestation in July 1995 - just 40 centimetres long and weighing 1420 grams.
He was given less than a 30% chance of survival.
But he beats the odds and is now a healthy teenager, about to embark on year 12 studies.
And he’s determined to pay back those who helped him during his premature start to life.
This year, in addition to teddy bears for the babies, he gave out hampers.
Kathy and Justin Schafer were among those to receive one.
Their daughter Charlotte, was born on December 22 – three and a half weeks early.
So impressed with Josh’s good deeds, the Schafers decided to give Josh a gift too - a cuddle with little Charlotte.
