Every afternoon around 3 p.m., a small group of construction workers in Cleveland climb to an upper floor of a building under construction and wave to 4-year-old Brinley Wyczalek in the Cleveland Clinic. It began in January when her father, Travis, shone a flashlight at the site where the Neurological Institute is being built, and someone flashed a light back. After the workers taped a sign, “Get Well Soon” and the family responded: “Thank you. Waiting for a heart,” the workers said: “Praying for you and your family. Keep fighting.” Then they organized donations including coloring books, games, a signed hard hat, and even a huge stuffed bear. “We build hospitals to help people heal,” said union carpenter Devan Nail. “But seeing Brinley made it personal. We wanted her to know she has a whole crew behind her.” While she waits for a transplant, Brinley is supported by a ventricular assist device that helps pump blood through her body. “Healing isn’t only physical,” said her pediatric cardiologist, Dr. Shahnawaz Amdani. “Human connection matters deeply.”
