Valentine’s: Spreading love from all corners

Play therapist Jedidah Booke receives a Valentine's gift from Flying Squad Operations Officer George Njoroge at Getrude Children's Hospital yesterday. [photos: JONAH ONYANGO, ELVIS OGINA/STANDARD]

On a typical day, they would be chasing after hard core criminals, guns at the ready. For theirs are routine tasks without scant regard for compassion, after all you are unlikely to have mercy on an armed criminal determined to kill you first.

But yesterday, they laid down their arms and picked up roses and sought to express their love.

Patients at the Gertrude's Children Hospital in Muthaiga got a rare Valentine's treat when officers from the Flying Squad paid them a visit yesterday.

With red roses in one hand and their sophisticated police communication gadgets in the other, the officers walked into different wards and handed flowers to ailing children.

In each ward they stepped into, they ensured that the nurses, children and their parents received roses. "Valentine's is not only about buying expensive gifts for your lover. It is about spreading love to everyone around you," said head of the Flying Squad Unit Mohamed Saidi Kiprotich.

At the Intensive Care Unit, Hilda Kinya held onto her one-week-old baby as the monitors beeped. Her face immediately lit up when Inspector John Njoroge walked towards her and gave her a small teddy bear and a fresh rose flower.

She talked about how her baby, who was born with heart disease, had remained hooked on the machine and all she did was sit and wait for her little girl to get better.

 Nursing Injuries

For her, receiving the flowers was a break from her normal routine and even more importantly, it reinforced the spirit of Valentin's, which is to spread love. "I am grateful that there are people out there who actually think about sick children and their parents," said Ms Kinya.

Outside the hospital, children at the playground were eager to receive their gifts from the officers. Some were nursing injuries and had bandages but the Valentine's gifts they received brought a smile to their faces.

Getrude's Doris Livasia  appreciated the gesture, saying it was rare for security officers to take a break from their duty and celebrate with children. She said when parents bring their children to hospital, it is always a very difficult time for them and sometimes all they need is someone who can talk to them and tell them that everything will be okay. "If you have ever brought a child or visited someone with a sick child, then you know how difficult such times can be," she said.

She added the children will fondly remember the officers for giving them a beautiful Valentine's Day.