RICHMOND, Va. -- A Chesterfield mom is helping keep her son’s memory alive by organizing a toy drive for children receiving care at St. Mary’s Hospital.
Donna Reynolds's nine-year-old son, Kellan, lost his battle with a rare Mitochondrial disease in July of 2020. The condition is so rare fewer than 20,000 cases are diagnosed in the U.S. every year.
After his death, Donna wanted to do something to help other children at Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital, where her son spent months receiving care.
During his numerous hospital stays, there was one thing she said cheered him up — new toys.
That's why Reynolds started an annual toy drive in his honor.
This is the drive's third year, and last year, she was able to donate 1,200 toys to the hospital. This year, she's hoping to drop off even more.
Reynolds says this time of year is incredibly hard on her and her family, and this drive helps her get through the holidays without her son.
As part of the CBS 6 Month of Giving, reporter Caroline Coleburn met up with Reynolds inside St. Mary's Pediatric Unit, where she surprised Reynolds with a $200 gift card to use to purchase toys for the campaign.
If you'd like to help Reynolds and donate toys, you can visit thisFacebook page or purchase items directly from Amazon or thisTarget wish list.
Reynolds plans to drop off the toys in January, in honor of Kellan's birthday.
CBS 6 Month of Giving is made possible with help from our friends at Virginia Credit Union.
The CBS 6 Month of Giving made possible by Virginia Credit Union is underway. Watch for a new surprise every day in December on CBS 6 News at 6 a.m., 4 p.m., and 6 p.m. Have an idea about who we should surprise next, click here to email our team.
