Pat LaFontaine Returns with Buffalo Sabres
Owner Tom Golisano, Past & Present Players to
Open an Interactive Computer & Game Room for
Patients
Lion's Den Funded by Companion's in Courage and
Matching Donation by Tom Golisano
BUFFALO, NY - National Hockey League Hall of
Famer, former Buffalo Sabres Captain and close
friend to children throughout Western New York,
Pat LaFontaine along with Buffalo Sabres Owner
Tom Golisano and his wife Heather, Buffalo
Sabres General Manager Darcy Regier, Sabres
Alumni and current team players will gather for
the opening of the Lion's Den at Women &
Children's Hospital of Buffalo on Monday, Aug.
29 at 9 a.m.
A state-of-the-art interactive computer and game
room for patients at Women & Children's
Hospital, the Lion's Den is designed to provide
a sanctuary where children can escape the
pressures of having a serious illness or injury.
This Lion's Den is only the second hospital
playroom of its kind and features four XBOX
games, personal computers with Internet access
and a privacy pod with a web cam and extra large
monitor with video conferencing capability to
allow patients and their families to communicate
directly with friends, family and others
anywhere outside the hospital walls.
The $300,000 necessary to create the Lion's Den
was provided by Tom & Heather Golisano, Pat
LaFontaine's Companions in Courage Foundation
and the Buffalo Sabres. The funds were raised
during the Companions in Courage celebrity
hockey game, tournament and dinner weekend held
in December 2004. The celebrity hockey game
included several Buffalo Sabres Alumni, current
NHL stars and other well-known personalities
including actor Michael J. Fox and comedian
Dennis Leary.
"Opening this Lion's Den is truly my dream come
true for the patients here at Women & Children's
Hospital of Buffalo, many of whom I've had the
pleasure to meet and become friends with over
the years," said Pat LaFontaine. "I established
Companions in Courage for just this purpose - to
help children feel more comfortable during a
very difficult time in their lives."
The Lion's Den is located in the 9th floor
Pediatric Inpatient Surgical Unit, although it
is accessible by any patient admitted at Women &
Children's Hospital.
"Children throughout Western New York will
continue to benefit from the on-going friendship
and support of Pat LaFontaine and the Buffalo
Sabres," said William D. McGuire, Chief
Executive Officer, Kaleida Health. "These
children and their families can now enjoy this
available technology and use it to find comfort
with those unable to visit them in person in the
hospital."
Pat LaFontaine and the Buffalo Sabres each have
along history of support of Women & Children's
Hospital and the many families it serves
throughout Western New York and beyond. Pat
LaFontaine has been a regular visitor with
patients admitted at Women & Children's
Hospital, especially while a member of the
Buffalo Sabres, and developed many close
friendships with children and their families
that continued even after being discharged from
the hospital. Buffalo Sabres, their alumni and
current players have organized many fundraising
special events and also organize frequent visits
with patients.
The Pediatric Inpatient Surgical Unit is
dedicated to the care of infants, toddlers,
preschoolers and adolescents who require close
monitoring following surgery. As the only unit
of its kinds in the Western New York, a
multidisciplinary approach to post-operative
management and recovery of patients is taken
while giving particular attention to the
uniqueness of cultural and developmental needs.
This unit cares for children in need specialized
care for cardiovascular surgery, dentistry,
neurosurgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics,
otolaryngology, general pediatric surgery and
plastic surgery.
Also attending this announcement are Jon Luther,
Chief Executive Officer, Dunkin' Donuts, which
sponsored the Companions in Courage celebrity
hockey game, tournament and dinner weekend, and
Mike Allen from MicroSoft, which has provided
for the technology that makes the Lion's Den
possible.
Women & Children's Hospital of Buffalo, a
Kaleida Health facility, is the regional center
for comprehensive and state-of-the-art
pediatric, perinatal and obstetrical services in
Western New York and beyond.
Contact Information:
John Moscato
Phone: (716) 878-1660
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