NUMC gets in the 'spirit' of the Thanksgiving season

His instruments set aside, George Tsunis slowly slid one hand inside a plastic surgical glove in the pediatric wing of Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow Monday morning.

“I’m going to keep squeezing them in,” Tsunis said just before sliding his last finger inside the second glove and then reaching for a carving knife and serving fork.

Tsunis, chairman of the board for the Nassau Health Care Corp., the public benefit corporation that runs the hospital, finally was ready to operate on his subject — a roasted golden brown turkey. The bird was prepared for children and their parents in celebration of Thanksgiving in a 35-year tradition at the hospital.

A handful of children with their families, which included a patient and some members of the community, took part in the feast served up by Tsunis and medical staff, digging into turkey and its trappings such as stuffing and gravy, mashed sweet potatoes, creamed spinach, and cranberry sauce. The meal was topped off by pumpkin and apple pie for dessert. Picky eaters had their choice of pizza, cookies, chocolate cake, and ice cream.

Leaning forward, Tsunis asked 9-year-old Julius Rodriguez of Westbury what kind of meat he would like with his meal. “Would you like some dark meat, too?,” he asked. Julius answered with a soft, “Yes.”

For Tsunis and the others, the event is a way of giving back and sharing an important meal with members of the community.

“This, to me, speaks to the spirit of Thanksgiving. It speaks to the spirit of giving thanks, and it speaks to the spirit of giving,” Tsunis said.

Julius, a fourth-grader at Park Avenue Elementary School in Westbury, said he is thankful this year for having a family to gather around the table and celebrate with.

“It’s good to give thanks to all of our blessings,” said Rodriguez, who had a checkup at the hospital earlier in the day.

Mom Lorraine Osorio said she decided to check out the event after learning about it from staff.

“I felt like it was nice and very genuine, and I interacted with people I don’t know," Osorio said. "We were talking and sharing our experiences and moments on the 18th floor.”

Dr. Nadeem Shabbir, vice chair of the hospital’s pediatric division, said similar events are hosted at Halloween and during the holiday season to better acclimate children who might be spending their holiday in the hospital. Shabbir was one of the food servers.

“Children are always afraid to be in a new place, and having such an event for them it’s much easier for them to accept and not consider it a foreign and unreal environment,” he said.