Washington, DC - First Lady Melania Trump traveled to Miami this morning to unveil the new “Morton and Linda Bouchard Healing Garden” at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.  The healing garden will offer a place of comfort and reprieve for patients and their families.  The First Lady also unveiled the new name of the “Esrick Dream Foundation Cardiac Intensive Care Floor” which is also part of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital.

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital is South Florida’s only licensed specialty hospital exclusively for children and is home to the largest pediatric teaching program in the southeastern United States.  One of the fundamental pillars making up the First Lady’s Be Best initiative is the well-being of children.  The addition of the hospital’s new healing garden is a prime example of how to help nurture, support, and strengthen children currently fighting diseases.

“It is because of the generous donations of people like Morton and Linda Bouchard, or Steve and Kiki Esrick of the Dream Foundation, that hospitals can offer more care and comfort to children who are already battling to get well,” said First Lady Melania Trump.  “Thank you to all the generous donors for supporting the hospital and thank you to Jack and Barbara Nicklaus for inviting me to be part of this special occasion.  I hope the new garden brings renewed strength to each child that visits.”

Following her remarks, Mrs. Trump participated in a butterfly release with Barbara Nicklaus, a young patient and her twin sister.

Mrs. Trump visited with a few of the children currently patients on the Cardiac Intensive Care Floor before departing.