Maria's Wish
Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), is a vision shared by many people, including Brenda and John Fareri, who lost their 13-year-old daughter, Maria, to rabies in 1995. While Maria was hospitalized at Westchester Medical Center, Brenda and John quickly realized that Westchester Medical Center, like many hospitals, was built at a time when families were not considered an essential part of a patient's care.
Maria Fareri Children's Hospital is the only hospital in the nation named after a child. After Maria died, her parents, John and Brenda Fareri, learned that Maria had made a special wish as part of a school project: "For the health and well-being of all the children in the world." With her spirit guiding them, her parents, family and other 20,000 members of our community have made this wish a reality. Today, Maria Fareri Children's Hospital is a place where parents are not visitors but partners with the staff in the family-centered care of their children.