Monkey Business

A Chat with a Hopeful Hopkins Hero

by Rebecca Proch

There are monkeys living in the atrium lobby of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Care Center, dreaming of the children who will soon adopt them. Sock monkeys, to be exact! These colorful little playmates were created by the nurses of Weinberg 5A and 4B HEME on their annual wellness retreat in September. We interviewed one of them as he anticipates traveling to a new home.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Clark Kent, and my mom is a nurse named Jessica Might. Look, she dressed me up like a superhero with a cape and everything! I definitely have special powers, like super-cuddling and keeping monsters out from under the bed.

What’s sock monkey life like?
Well, I remember the day we all got made. We were outside in the fall, and it was so pretty and peaceful.
All the nurses who made us were smiling and helping each other. I heard that decorating us helped them relax and have fun, which made us monkeys happy. The nurses loved us, but they were real excited that we were going to be given as gifts to children in Baltimore shelters. While we’re waiting for our new children, all fifty of us are snuggled together in this big glass case in the atrium.

Do you get bored there?
Oh no! It’s very sunny here, and people come to look at us all the time. There’s a piano in the atrium, so sometimes we get to hear music. We’re very cozy, and we talk about monkey things—bananas and jumping on the bed and how fun it will be to meet our new families.

Who do you hope adopts you?
Someone who’ll be my best friend and take me on adventures! I can’t wait to share my surprise—my tag says “To the next Superman” and I bet that boy or girl doesn’t even know yet that they’re a superhero, too. But every time we’re together, I’ll be sure to remind them that they have greatness inside.

Many thanks to Gina Szymanski, RN, and Diane Lewicki, RN, for organizing the sock monkey activity and helping with monkey-to-English translation!