COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — A pop-up shop inside Prisma Health Children’s Hospital helps parents focus on their child’s health, while making sure their kids still get plenty of gifts at Christmas. It’s called the Child Life Holiday Market, and it’s located right inside the children’s hospital. Parents whose children are patients at Prisma Health are given 30 tickets and allowed to shop — for free. “When the families come down and they see this room that’s full of toys that have been donated, and the relief on their faces and usually tears come with that, and they say, you know we haven’t had a chance because we’ve been here or I didn’t know what we were going to do, we didn’t have anything wrapped up yet, and just the human emotion that comes with that, and knowing that they’ve got a lot on their plate with a child upstairs, if we can take this off their plate, it makes the holiday spirit so good,” says Christy Fink, Manager of Child Life and Special Programs at Prisma Health Children’s Hospital. With many of the toys just being a few tickets each, moms and dads are able to leave with a wagon full of Christmas surprises. Staff members then wrap the presents, and have them delivered right to the patient’s room! Mom of two Kalen Robinson, whose daughter was admitted just two days ago for respiratory issues, says staff wanted her to focus on her daughter getting well. “I have a son, Nixon, he’s three and this is his first Christmas knowing what’s going on and he’s very excited about Santa Claus and my daughter was excited about Santa as well, and my daughter she was excited about Santa as well and to have her fall ill right before Christmas and the hospital to provide such wonderful gifts and wrap these gifts for me it just means a lot to me, and to know that we still have kindness in this world, just means the world to me,” says Robinson. The holiday market has been available to families for 16 years now — with every toy donated by local residents. Categories: Local News, News Tags: Christy Fink, Kalen Robinson, Prisma Health Children’s Hospital