A University of Maryland Medical Center therapy dog, Loki (also known as Dogtor Loki) is helping deliver hero healing kits to Maryland hospital ICU nurses during COVID-19.
The 2-year-old Rottweiler is a beloved therapy dog at the hospital in Baltimore who visits patients multiple days out of the week.
Loki’s mom, Caroline Benzel, is a second-year Medical Student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. “I got accepted into medical school around the same time I got her," Caroline said.
She realized she wanted a therapy dog shortly after her grandfather became sick. "My grandfather was sick and I lived with him in his hospital room for a month,” Caroline explained. “When he would see this dog, he would light up."
Caroline and Loki were spending 3 days in the hospital each week before COVID-19 and with the restrictions she knew she and Loki needed to help in some way by making care packages and what she is now calling "hero healing kits."
They started collecting items that were easy to attain like hand lotion, Gold Bond, chewing gum, chapstick, and tea and now Caroline has asked for donations via their Amazon Wishlist because there is a limit per customer on certain items.
So far they've raised enough for 1,400 kits.