‘A dose of comfort’: Deerfield teen’s parents build coffee station for families of hospitalized children
It was during one of many stints at the hospital by her son’s bedside when Carolyn Koppel realized what a comfort drinking a hot cup of coffee would bring her.
The seemingly insignificant drink might as well have been in Alaska, as just a few hours before midnight, the Deerfield mom had been on close watch of her son, Aaron Kobb — at the time 11 years old — in case he had a seizure while in his room on the 19th floor of the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago in 2017.
It was too late to call room service, and the thought of getting in an elevator and traveling down to another floor to purchase the drink while on seizure watch seemed too long of a stretch to be away from her sick child, Koppel said.
“Any time we have with Aaron is borrowed time,” Koppel said of the youngest of her two sons, who as a baby was diagnosed with an extremely rare medical condition called dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase deficiency, and since has had to make frequent visits to the hospital for treatment — some for weeks at a time.
Due to the disorder, Aaron requires 24-hour care.
The now-13-year-old is confined to a wheelchair, is non-verbal and is fed through a tube that pumps his food directly into his stomach.
Today, and parents and caregivers of other sick children being treated in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of the Lurie Children’s Hospital now can have a hot cup of Joe without straying too far from their loved one at Aaron’s Coffee Corner.
Set up in the Family Great Room of the PICU, Aaron’s Coffee Corner provides a coffee machine with different choice of flavored coffees — caffeine or decaf — along with cups, cream, sugar and napkins, all free of charge.
Lurie Hospital officials said the coffee is a small convenience for families, but one that has a big impact.
“There are so many reasons why families spend their time at the PICU,” Koppel said. “Coffee might not seem like a big thing, but it’s something that can bring people together — the smell is calming, and it does have a dose of comfort.”
It took a number of emails, calls, time, much persistence and fundraising to get the coffee stand up and running, Koppel said, but with the donation of a coffee maker by the Keurig Green Mountain company, and by working with officials at Lurie, the idea of easy access to that liquid comfort is a reality now, in honor of Aaron.
“The notion of having a legacy for Aaron is important for us, because he’s impacted us in so many ways,” said Aaron’s father, Ari Kobb.
Adding that when facing challenges, it’s the small things that add up to big things, Kobb said many in his community have provided those big and little displays of support, and the coffee corner is one way to give back to others.
Through friends, family and supporters of Aaron, such as the school he attends in Deerfield, the family has been able to raise $26,000 to date.
Last month, Caruso Middle School in Deerfield Public Schools District 109 surprised the family with a check in the amount of $11,062.42 that was raised for Aaron’s Coffee Corner.
“They’ve always been supportive of Aaron,” Koppel said of her son’s school community.
The official dedication of Aaron’s Coffee Corner was in November at the hospital with the entire family present. Aaron smiled, Koppel said.
“He’s not aware of (the coffee stand) or how it’s helping other families, but he is aware of the fuss that people are making about him. He knows he’s loved,” Koppel said.
Now, the family has set a broader goal.
Through the aaronscoffeecorner.org website, they hope to continue to raise funds to set up additional “corners” in other floors of the hospital, along with outpatient centers in Grayslake and Lake Forest.
“The launch of this invaluable pilot program delivers a consistent source of comfort to our patient families during some of the most stressful times of their lives. We are honored to have the help of Aaron’s Coffee Corner in supporting our PICU patients and families in the years to come,” said Olivia Coast, development coordinator at Lurie Children’s Hospital.
Aaron’s parents said the coffee corner is an avenue for those who recognize that every little bit counts for families who are dealing with challenges.
Yadira Sanchez Olson is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.