This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Marjorie Brewster, 85-Year-Old Hospital Volunteer, Gets $1K To Buy Gifts For Sick Kids

Grab your tissues.

Marjorie Brewster just wants to put a smile on the faces of the children who visit Ontario's Southlake Regional Health Centre.

The 85-year-old has been volunteering there for 26 years, four days a week, helping sick children. That includes buying them presents, reports CTV News.

Brewster spends $80 each week buying presents for children that visit the hospital, in an effort to distract them from their sometimes life-threatening illnesses.

"The minute they see me, they know they're going to get toys," she explains in a YouTube video uploaded by the hospital in Newmarket, Ont.

"They're not thinking of what's got to be done, it's all 'I wonder what Marjorie's got?'"

So it was time Brewster got a surprise of her own.

When Wal-Mart Canada heard her inspiring story, the company decided to give her $1,000 to spend on gifts, while Energizer provided $1,000 worth of batteries to power toys.

"This is wonderful!" Brewster said of the surprise.

That's not all. Brewster was also presented with the Human Touch Award by Cancer Care Ontario last month, in recognition of her commitment to children.

The hospital's president, Dr. Dave Williams, called her a "shining example of the kind of impact you can have on others."

When Brewster first started buying toys, they were just for seriously ill children in the paediatric oncology department. Soon, she started buying them for as many children as possible.

"I love all of them," she told CTV News.

Happy shopping, Marjorie!

ALSO ON HUFFPOST:

This Is What Pediatric Cancer Looks Like

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Wal-Mart provided Energizer batteries.

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.