Dave Curran holds the Caudle twins during his visit to the neonatal intensive care unit. Nurse Pam Kerber prepares Ranbeer for his visit with Santa. Richard was born at 1. Richard Plascenia, 4 months old, cries a little until he was in the arms of Santa.
Richard Rodriguez has not had an easy time. Since being born 15 weeks early, he has spent his entire four months of life at Riverside University Health Systems Medical Center. On Thursday, a week before his parents hope he comes home, Richard met with Santa Claus. Dave Curran has portrayed Santa at the Moreno Valley medical center for the past decade.
On Christmas Eve, Curran and his wife, Karilyn, visited with children and other patients for more than eight hours. They started in the neonatal intensive care unit, then visited other children before going floor to floor spending time with patients and their visitors, handing out presents and candy canes.
He weighed just 1 pound, 15 ounces at birth Aug. He was so small he could have fit in a shoebox, Plascencia said. Each child gets a gift, with babies receiving knitted caps and blankets. The Currans even have gifts for children who may be visiting someone in the hospital when Santa comes by. Curran, a network engineer who lives in Hemet, saves his vacation time for the end of the year so he and Karilyn can visit places such as hospitals, schools and senior living facilities spreading Christmas cheer.
He receives no pay and the Currans buy many of the gifts they hand out. Others are donated by individuals and community groups. Medical Center Chief Operations Officer Jennifer Cruikshank said many children who spend time in the hospital never forget the experience, so being able to see Santa makes the memory a better one. Contact the writer: or cshultz pressenterprise.
