TAMPA, Fla. — Anthony Staiano is a Tampa Bay Lightning season-ticket holder.
When he looks out his window at Tampa General Hospital, he can see part of Benchmark International Arena. He was there about seven weeks ago, loving the noise, the crowd and the boys in blue — just before he checked in here and started waiting for a heart transplant.
WATCH: In Tampa General Hospital's Cardiac ICU, patients and staff bond over the Bolts
"I feel like I'm not there, but I'm kind of there," says Staiano, a patient in TGH's Cardiac ICU.
Also helping him feel like he's "kind of there?" Nurses, doctors and staff in this unit — all of whom love the Lightning.
"It's the one thing we all have in common," says Shanie Fletcher, director of patient services. "At the end of the day, we're all Lightning fans."
They obviously do very serious work here — saving lives, healing the sick — but this time of year, says nurse manager Lauren Greene, "we're in playoff mode."
That means there are Thunderbug plushies at the nurse's station. A flash of Lightning socks under scrubs is a common site. The lovely Bolts' blue hue can be seen pretty much everywhere.
"When it's football or hockey season, we'll watch games in patients' rooms," says Greene.
There's even a mock penalty box just big enough to stand in and smile.
And in a light-hearted moment — the patients need this, the staff needs this — everyone joins together for a robust chant:
"LET'S GO LIGHTNING!"
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Sean Daly calls himself Tampa Bay 28’s resident big kid. He puts his boundless energy into sharing stories about people doing good, things for you to do, and of course, theme parks. If you have an idea for Sean’s next adventure, send him a message.
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