CHICAGO — In 1999, two statues from “Cows on Parade” were donated to the Shriner’s Hospital for Children in Chicago.
Now 21 years later, one of these bovine beauties has received a thoughtful gesture from a patient — its very own face mask .
Trystan Dickinson, 12, of Columbus, visited the hospital in late June. After seeing the statue, Trystan told his mom that the cow needed a mask, since everyone else at the hospital was wearing them as a precaution during COVID-19.
Trystan was in the hospital this past week for inpatient rehabilitation related to his cerebral palsy and scoliosis, his family said. During that time, he and his mom designed and created the mask.
On Thursday, the cow was finally able to don its mask. Trystan was discharged from the hospital on the same day.
The cow, of course, will continue to social distance — it’s contained by a velvet rope so it won’t be moo-ving anywhere.
“We’re glad even the cows are getting in on the message of protecting yourself and others by wearing a mask, and Shriners Hospitals commitment to keeping our patients, families, and staff safe,” Shriners Hospitals officials said in a press release.
For more on this story, see Tuesday’s Republic.
