CHOC Children's celebrates Día del Niño

CHOC Children's celebrates Día del Niño ORANGE - Hundreds of patients were treated to music, magic and merriment on Monday morning, as part of a three-hour Día del Niño (Day of the Child) celebration held on the CHOC Children's campus. Maria Ramirez of Anaheim and her sons Angel Diaz, 8, and Daniel Diaz, 3, were among those who watched the show. "I want them to come and see a friend, not a phlebotomist," said Serna, of Brea, who also performed magic tricks with the guide of CHOC patients Monday morning. "I think that it's great," said Ramirez, 36, who recalled celebrating Día del Niño in Guanajuato, Mexico as a child. Monday's event was held in honor of Día del Niño, Mexico's April 30 observation of international Children's Day. Serna, originally of Mexico City, said he created Monday's event with the same intent: to make laughter part of the healing process. Serna, who has been with the hospital for four years, worked as a children's entertainer for 14 years before starting at CHOC. They are our future. The event was organized by Jaime Serna, a CHOC phlebotomist who uses magic tricks, toys and a red clown nose to calm his patients' fear of needles. The action unfolded in the lobby of the CHOC Clinics at Orange, a busy facility near the hospital that receives 55,000 visits annually, as families waited to be seen by clinic staff during their standing appointments. "We wanted to ensure that all the kids were happy in the lobby and not afraid when they went into their rooms," said Serna, 44. CHOC Children's celebrates Día del Niño Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 01/05/2012