Public donate hundreds of LEGO sets to sick children in Italian hospital

A pediatric cancer charity put out a call for LEGO bricks to be provided for children in hospital, which was met with hundreds of donations from the public. DW reports that a request on Facebook for LEGO donations to entertain sick children, by an association linked to a pediatric cancer hospital in Bologna, Italy, was met with overwhelming generosity by the public.

"We have a Lego emergency," said the Ageop Ricerca association in Bologna on Sunday. "At any age, building a car, robot or space shuttle is always a wonderful way to pass the time and allow the spirit to travel. Can you help us?"

Ageop Ricerca Director Francesca Testoni, who made the plea for Legos, said due to health reasons, the children could only play with new toys.

Within days, the Sant'Orsola hospital, where Ageop Ricerca operates, received 500 new boxes of the toy building bricks.

It has been met with a positive reaction from the hospital, children and their parents.

But the children were not the only ones delighted with the new gifts. A mother of a child receiving treatment at the hospital told Testoni that the amount of Legos donated filled her heart with joy.

"It's so beautiful knowing that so many people think of our children. These toy bricks make it clear to everyone that we exist," the mother said, according to Testoni's post.

UK fans who wish to help in a similar way should consider a donation to Fairy Bricks, the charity that donates LEGO sets to brighten the lives of sick children in hospital.