Virtual Santa with Ewan Gregory, 9, discussing wishes for the Broncos.

Sixty children met Santa at Poudre Valley Hospital December 18 in a way they never have before: via the Internet.

The Fort Collins hospital worked with Cisco, a national corporation that provides information technology to healthcare and other industries, to bring a virtual Santa to Fort Collins so he could talk one-on-one with kids through remote video collaboration technology.

PVH was one of 18 hospitals nationwide and the only northern Colorado to be asked to participate in Cisco’s annual Santa Connection Program that was developed to offer sick kids and their families happiness during the holiday season.

The program solves a challenge that sometimes arises when inpatient children are unable to visit Santa due to their illnesses or the inability of Santa to visit sick children in restricted patient-care areas.

At PVH, three children who were inpatients on the pediatric unit saw monitors and other equipment set up in their rooms, and then, to their delight, Santa appeared on screen to visit with them. Illnesses were forgotten. Dreams and wishes became the health treatment of the day.

Most of Santa’s virtual visit was held in a large hospital meeting room which PVH employees decorated with North Pole decor. Each child was given a bag containing a teddy bear and other gifts.

Then, when it came their turn to visit with Santa, children sat—straightly upright and alert—in easy chairs covered with festive red cloth as they told their wishes to Santa.

Some chatted about other topics, too.

Santa and Ewan Gregory, 9, had an insightful discussion about Ewan’s favorite football team, the Denver Broncos. They talked about coaching and player issues with such strong magical passion that the Broncos will assuredly end the season wearing Super Bowl rings.

“I think we solved the Broncos’ problems,” Santa, as he contemplatively stroked his long silvery white beard, said to Ewan.

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