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The donation drive Aleks Snuggles delivered triple the number of gifts to Texas Children’s Hospital for its second year on Friday, Dec. 12.
Addison Pilsner and her mother Amber Pilsner collected around 1,000 donations of soft blankets, fuzzy socks, stuffed animals and more from Oct. 2 through Dec. 12. Aleks Snuggles started last year in honor of Aleksander Price Medrano, who died on Oct. 2 after a brief illness. The donations are delivered on Medrano’s birthday, Dec. 12. Medrano received care at Texas Children’s Hospital Main Campus, the recipient of the drive. Photos posted by the Pilsners on Facebook showed the donations filling a living room.
“The amount that we got this year was amazing, and if we could just keep that amount or more, that would be phenomenal,” Addison said. “…I just want to say thank you to everybody that donated. This really wouldn’t be possible without everybody’s help and donations.” Medrano, 17, was a senior and football player at Columbus High School. He hosted at Nancy’s Steakhouse and enjoyed sports, the outdoors, dancing and spending time with his family. Addison, his girlfriend who he intended to marry, said he particularly enjoyed warm, fuzzy comforts which sparked the idea of the donation drive. This year would have been his 19th birthday.
“It makes me feel really good to know that people still honor his memory and still think about him and to know that his name’s still out there,” Addison said.
Addison said the delivery of donations went perfectly. She recalled that hospital staff were very thankful and remembered them from the year before.
