TAMPA, Fla. — A Palm Harbor high school student has turned what he experienced during a health crisis into a passion for doing something nice for hospitalized children. On a recent morning, Tyson Asif and his parents were dropping off boxes of Christmas gifts at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg.
There’s a special reason Asif has a passion for the hospital and the kids getting care there. Last spring, Asif got sick with Covid-19 and then the flu. His immune system overreacted and attacked his soft tissues. He spent two weeks at the hospital and required an eye membrane transplant.
Asif’s family and friends were at his side during the ordeal and so were the hospital staff. “I felt good that I had them to take care of me,” he said. “They felt like my friends. I never felt like I was in a doctor’s. I wasn’t scared or anything.”
Asif was so thankful for the hospital that he decided to give back by starting a GoFundMe so he could purchase Christmas gifts. Thousands of dollars in donations poured into the account. “Because I couldn’t even imagine missing Christmas. I mean, being in the hospital. I would be devastated,” he said.
Tyson’s mother, Alisa Asif, is his biggest cheerleader for the Christmas gift project. She saw it as a great way for him to give back after he was so sick. “So just embracing the fact that we have today and being thankful,” she said. “And I think that it’s awesome that Tyson is showing his gratitude now through generosity.”
Tyson Asif is excited about the way things came together. “It’s great. If I could go into each room and deliver them, I would,” he said. “I am really happy for how many people are going to be affected by these toys.”
Asif said he was so moved by the care that he got at the hospital that he has decided to study biomedical sciences at the University of South Florida.