KarunaNews Story

Due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Dysautonomia, MCAS, and a host of other medical issues, Lydia Brown knows what it's like to spend Christmas in a hospital bed. The 16-year-old spent the majority of her childhood on the pediatric floor at Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine. That's why, for four years straight, Brown has donated Christmas presents to kids on the pediatric floor. She calls it the Lydia Project. In an interview with local television outlet, Brown said that she donated over 800 presents this Christmas, making it her “most successful year” yet. “Every year, I try to make it as big as I can,” she said. “I donate almost anything you can think of, whether it’s needed, not needed, for fun, not for fun, anything that a family member might need or a patient, I try to donate it.” Brown said that most of the gifts come from neighbors in her community, and she and her mom take care of the rest. The goal is to make sure no children go without a gift on Christmas Day. Although Brown can’t be there in person to give the gifts herself, she said that it’s enough to know that she’s making a positive impact.