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    In the Loop: ICU care doesn’t stop at the bedside

the Fitzpatrick family celebrating outside hospital
Cyrus Fitzpatrick was going to be 5 soon. And his parents, Paul and Paula, wanted to celebrate. But party planning wouldn't be the same as in year's past. That's because Paul was in the intensive care unit at Mayo Clinic's Florida campus and wouldn't be able to make it home for a party.

Paula asked the care team if it would be possible to bring Cyrus's party to Paul, perhaps by bringing a cake into his room. Paul's team thought the occasion called for something bigger. So with the family's approval, the team went into party-planning mode. The result: a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle-themed celebration, complete with cupcakes, decorations, gifts and even a DJ. Among the guests were many of Paul's caregivers, some of whom came to the hospital on their day off to be there.

"They did so much for us," Paula says in a voice thick with emotion. "Cyrus was excited. And Paul loved that he got to participate." Read the rest of their story.
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This story originally appeared on the In the Loop blog.