Cheri Robinson has a special reason — beyond spreading joy — to don a Mrs. Claus outfit and visit hospitals within Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in western Washington state at the holidays.
In 2023, Robinson underwent heart surgery at Virginia Mason's St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma that restored her vitality. Each year since, she has returned as Mrs. Claus to show her appreciation to the staff and to bring good tidings to the hospital community. Last year, she visited St. Joseph, and this year she visited Virginia Mason's St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way. She is accompanied by her husband, who plays the role of Santa. Last year, her granddaughter joined her, dressed as an elf.
"We're a little Christmas family here, and we're giving cookies and candy canes and saying thanks to everybody for all they've done," Robinson said in a video created during last year's visit to the CommonSpirit Health hospital.
This year, Robinson and her husband held court in an area decorated for the holidays, welcoming staff and visitors for photos and visiting. Nearly 100 people joined in the fun.
Debilitated living
Robinson, 72, noticed concerning symptoms several years ago when she struggled to walk up a hill during a family vacation to Hawaii. Normally active and physically fit, she was huffing and puffing and couldn't catch her breath. Back home, over the next several months, her symptoms worsened. During an emergency department visit for unrelated stomach pain, she was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation. The condition is characterized by an irregular heartbeat.
Despite taking medication for the atrial fibrillation and undergoing numerous tests by her primary care physician that came back normal, Robinson continued to experience health issues that increasingly affected her daily life. The simplest activities would leave her gasping for breath. While she loved travel, her husband had to carry a chair for her so she could rest frequently.
After a string of visits to providers for her ongoing symptoms, Robinson was referred to Dr. Craig Hampton. Hampton specializes in minimally invasive mitral valve surgery at St. Joseph. He determined Robinson was suffering heart congestion due to a faulty valve.
'Thank you for fixing our grammie'
During the November 2023 surgery, Hampton and his team repaired the mitral valve through a small incision on the side of Robinson's chest. According to St. Joseph, fewer than 10% of heart surgeons in the U.S. perform this surgery.
Robinson said on the video of her story that she experienced almost no pain from the procedure and was up and walking shortly afterward.
Her grandchildren penned a note that they sent along with Robinson when she returned for a follow-up visit with Hampton. It said: "Thank you for fixing our Grammie."
Robinson said in an online post, "Dr. Hampton and the entire team treated us like family. They were so kind and empathetic. They made everything better. They gave me my life back." Since the surgery she's returned to gardening, swimming with her grandkids, enjoying other rigorous activities, and traveling — without the chair.
She and her husband had portrayed Mr. and Mrs. Claus in the community for many years before her surgery, and she'd feared her condition would force her to stop. But the procedure ended those doubts, and she's now added Virginia Mason hospitals to her holiday visit itinerary.
That's not the only fun and frivolity at St. Francis this year. There's a stocking contest between departments, an ugly Christmas sweater day and team member caroling.
For her part, Robinson enjoyed the chance to enjoy this special time of year with those who stopped by to say hello during her visit. She said that especially for children, "this visit is incredibly special … and, honestly, that makes it just as special for us."
