FARGO, N.D. – Kids at Sanford Children’s Hospital in Fargo recently had a couple of special visitors. Olympic gold medalists Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoureux-Morando spent time greeting children in the pediatric unit, letting them wear their gold medals and pausing to let gleeful parents snap a few photos.
The sisters from the USA Women’s Hockey Team scored the game-tying and shootout-winning goals in the USA vs. Canada Olympic game in PyeongChang, South Korea, during the 2018 Winter Olympics. Natives of Grand Forks, North Dakota, they have a special place in their hearts for the state they call home. Their goal in visiting the kids was to inspire them and help brighten their days.
Finding and sharing inspiration
“It’s an opportunity to spread our message and what we’re passionate about. When you’re able to come to things like this today and meet so many young kids whose eyes light up when they see the medal, you kind of forget everything else that’s going on,” Jocelyne said. “These are the moments that are really special for us.”
And while they came to the hospital to inspire kids, they also got some inspiration in meeting children dealing with anything from serious illness to traumatic injury.
“This is our first opportunity to come to Sanford. To have the opportunity to do things that are a little outside of what we typically get to do is really special for us, especially for these kids that are obviously going through a tough time. To be able to spend time with them and their families, it’s really special,” Monique said.
The visit was especially exciting for 17-year-old Michael Landquist, a high school athlete who is recovering from a car accident.
“It was fun to see them. They’re pretty cool,” he said.
“It’s a boost in their energy,” said Michael’s mother, Janet Golden Landquist. “It gives them the inspiration to push back to get back to athletics.”
Life lessons
The sisters may be best known for their hockey accomplishments, but they hope the lessons they’ve learned on the ice can translate to youth in other ways.
“It’s about being a good person and being able to work with others and working hard,” Jocelyne said.
“We want to teach kids to be a good person and to put your best foot forward – whether that’s in training, in school, in your sport – because learning those life lessons transcends just the sport you play in. It’s lessons that you learn that you can take throughout life,” Monique added.
Serving as a role model
Throughout their visit with kids in Cully’s Kids Cabin, the neonatal intensive care unit rooms, the general pediatric and pediatric intensive care unit rooms, they remembered the weight they carried of not just their one-pound gold medals, but also the weight of serving as a positive role model.
“It’s something that we certainly don’t take for granted, and it’s a privilege to be able to be looked at as such. We understand that we represent our entire team, we represent Team USA, and we want to instill good values and lessons in kids that we’re able to talk to and hopefully make a difference in them,” Monique said.
About Sanford Children’s Hospital
Sanford Children’s Hospital includes 32 general pediatric and pediatric intensive care unit beds, as well as 40 neonatal intensive care unit beds. The hospital on the ninth floor of the Sanford Medical Center Fargo also features Cully’s Kids Cabin playroom. Sanford Children’s Hospital serves children and families as North Dakota’s only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital.
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Posted In Children's, Grand Forks, News
