The hospital is planning two events in the Prouty Garden this week, called "Honoring Prouty Garden and Looking Towards our Future." We have reason to believe that these events this week will be the final step in their stubborn destruction of the Prouty Garden.
These events will be held in the Prouty Garden: WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16th, 6:30-10:30 am and THURSDAY, Nov. 17th, 3-7 pm. Please read on for more details and know that our fight goes on, even if the garden closes.
A Promise Broken & An Uncertain Future
Friends, you know the immense and irreplaceable healing power of this historic garden. It is a place where some have found a new lease on life; it is also a place where some have bid farewell to life. It was donated by a grieving mother 60 years ago under assurances that it would remain "as long as there are patients, families and staff to enjoy it."
The Boston Children's Hospital of today has lost sight of that promise and that vision.
They say their new building, which is certainly the most expensive hospital expansion in state history at well over $1 billion, will expand their capacity to heal, but they are banking on overseas patients who, especially given today's incredible uncertain geopolitical climate, are not guaranteed to come. Add to that, hospitals nationwide fretting over the financial impact of repealing the Affordable Care Act under the new presidential administration, and you have uncertainty for hospital finances currently, even without a huge addition.
As taxpayers, this makes us nervous. As patients, families and staff, it breaks our hearts.
Please Join Us
The flyer below was distributed by the hospital, inviting staff and families to attend the two-day event, which again, we believe will be a farewell event ahead of a closure of the Prouty Garden in the very near future, despite our appeal and the pending ten-taxpayer lawsuit.
We will be on site at these events and we encourage all Prouty Garden supporters to come as well. If the hospital's will prevails, this may be your last time to stand beneath the branches of the Dawn Redwood, to lay on the lawn, to observe bunnies and squirrels and find a moment's peace in the Prouty Garden.
We will be wearing our Save Prouty pins proudly. We do not know if we will be allowed in; if we are not allowed in, we will congregate in front of the hospital. As patients and families will be present, it is not our intention to cause a disturbance, but we felt we would be doing our supporters a disservice by not alerting them to these events.
Please reach out to us if you have any questions. We hope to see you there.
