Aria's Pride Expands Library Progam to Levine Children's Hospital

Aria's Pride has taken a significant step forward by expanding our programs into Levine Children's Hospital. This new partnership aims to bring additional support, resources, and hope to a larger collection of children and families facing a pediatric oncology diagnosis. The collaboration promises to enhance the hospital experience and provide meaningful assistance to patients and their loved ones.

Mike and Rachael Ryan, Aria's Pride founders & Aria's parents, deliver Aria's Library to Levine Children's Hospital.

Aria's Library now at Levine Children's Hospital

Aria's Pride is known for its dedication to supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families. By expanding into Levine Children's Hospital, we hope to be able to continue our impact across the region.

Aria's Library serves to offer free books to those pediatric cancer patients spending time in the hospital. It was originally established at the Novant Health Hemby Children's Hospital, where it has served families since December 2023 sharing over 1000 books.

Found in the oncology floor Family Room at Levine Children's Hospital, Aria's Library is available for patients and family members who are visiting the hospital. Upon initiation, the library was stocked with 180 books to serve the 24 bed oncology unit. We also want to give a huge thank you to our friends, Karri and Leroy Blankenship, for donating their time and energy in the production of the physical library.

A new home

A couple of weeks ago, Mike and I delivered the newly constructed library to Levine Children's Hospital. There, we met with Sarah Frantz, the Events and Donation Coordinator from the Patient Experience team at Levine Children's Hospital. Sarah played a crucial role in setting up the library, and we are very grateful for her efforts and time.

During the delivery of the library, we also had the opportunity to meet with nurse management and some members of the nursing team. It was delightful to hear their appreciation and excitement about the library.

Rachael and Mike with Levine Children's Hospital oncology nursing staff

Looking Ahead: Expanding the Reach and Impact

Aria's Pride intends to utilize this new partnership to further our impact on families affected by pediatric cancer. We plan to introduce our additional programs to the hospital and hope to make a lasting impact on patients and families in the region.

"The library has been the biggest hit and I have had both families and staff raving about this. We recently had a patient who was not feeling up to leaving her room, but instead wanted to read all day. It was such a blessing to have the library right on the floor to allow staff to pull books for her to keep her distracted while admitted here. Thank you so much for sharing this resource with us!"

-Sarah Franz, Patient Experience Team at Levine Children's Hospital