Many fresh flowers are used and left out at weddings and other events. Eleanor Love, a medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University, came up with the idea of using the fresh flowers left out. She had gone to places where weddings and other events were held and asked the coordinators if she could get the flowers after the events. And then found a way to distribute these beautiful fresh flowers to patients in hospitals.
She had founded The Simple Sunflower by gathering people who volunteered to help her collect the flowers and distribute them to patients. The team that helped her included some of her colleagues, some university staff, some locals and florists. Not only did she help patients heal through flowers, but she also managed to unite people and improve their community. She does great work by finding The Simple Sunflower and helping patients. Even some studies say that flowers can heal people.
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Eleanor had told My Modern Met that The Simple Sunflower reminds her of the humanity in medicine and that there is a human being behind every test or treatment they perform. And they had said that their goal was to ease the pain of the patients by providing them these beautiful fresh flowers. She had said that her work fostered empathy and compassion and that she would carry this with her throughout her career as a doctor. And had also mentioned that creativity is essential for science and medicine and that their creativity, The Simple Sunflower makes them strong. And had said that everyone, herself, the patients and the volunteers appreciate the natural beauty of flowers.
Eleanor is now working as a doctor and the simple sunflower grows with her. She is in the process of applying to become a non-profit organization, and she wants to expand it further by helping other hospitals in other cities. To find out more, donate or volunteer, visit the website for more information. You can also connect with us on Twitter and Instagram.
#2 Eleanor started ‘The Simple Sunflower’ to help hospitalized patients
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#5 Love makes patients feel better by giving them fresh flowers
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