Mental Health Patients Receive Mighty Fine Holiday Wishes

Thanks to the efforts of the digital health community The Mighty, we delivered thousands of holiday cards—more than 5,000 in fact—to psychiatric patients at inpatient programs at our hospital and other local psychiatric facilities.

This past fall, The Mighty contacted us with a proposal to develop a card drive to deliver holiday messages to children and adults being treated at our hospital, and we readily agreed to partner with them.

Members of the public were asked to send a card with any type of positive message to The Mighty’s California office, and the response was overwhelming. Cards were received from people throughout the United States and several other countries, including France, Mexico, and Puerto Rico.

The Mighty team vetted and organized the cards and then shipped them in December to the McLean mailroom in Belmont. McLean staff, in turn, decided where and to whom the cards should be delivered. It turns out that we received many more cards than we needed, so we sent out extra cards to Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital to share with their patients as well.

Here are just a few examples of the touching messages that patients received.

• I don’t know who you are, but you are so important to me. You mean the world, I haven’t met you, but you do.
• If hugs were snowflakes, I’d send you a blizzard.
• Let’s Recover Together
• Happy Holidays! I just wanted to send some love & good vibes this holiday season. I know how challenging it can be in your position, especially during the holidays—I have been there. Just know that you are loved & I am rooting for you! Stay strong!