Hospitals Have No Chimneys
30 Years as a Hospital Santa
A Book By
Paul Liewer and Greg Martin
Hospitals Have No Chimneys
30 Years as a Hospital Santa
A Book By
Paul Liewer and Greg Martin
About the Book
"Hospitals Have No Chimneys" is an extraordinary odyssey that unfolds within the quiet confines of hospital rooms. In this intimate narrative, experience the profound impact of a simple smile in the face of adversity.
Meet Paul, a compassionate soul who dons a Santa suit and armed with teddy bears and toy cars, steps into the lives of those grappling with illness. What seems like a brief visit for him becomes a transformative journey through 10,000 rooms spanning three decades. The stage changes with each step, and the audience, ever unpredictable, offers a raw canvas of human emotions - hopes, laughter, questions, memories, and tears.
This book paints a vivid picture of Paul’s remarkable mission, beginning at the age of 29, and culminating in wisdom at 59. Through his eyes, explore the complexities of emotions, the poignant questions, and the light banter that emerges in the hush of hospital rooms. In his own words, Paul reflects on his role: I put on a red suit, picked up a bag of toys, and became a man I was not.
The narrative begins with Paul, a man in a gorilla suit on a street corner, and unfolds into a lifetime of traversing long hallways and encountering sad eyes that brighten with the magic of the red suit. Most encounters are fleeting, mere minutes, but within those brief moments lie uncommon occurrences - special times that become cherished memories.
Meet Hospital Santa
Paul Liewer was born in 1948 and grew up in Southern California where he learned to play basketball on the city courts of Compton. He is a graduate of California State University at Long Beach and had a long successful sales career.
His early exposure to acting behind a mask was in a gorilla suit doing promotions for a gas station. At 29, he donned a Santa suit for a visit to a single hospital room and a 30-year odyssey began. He is now a 46-year veteran Santa Claus with a distinctly unique perspective. Passions include photography, music, cooking, and a good history book. He has a zest for exploring the back roads and canyons of the Southwest. A roaring Sonoran Desert campfire with friends is always a delight. He lives in Arizona with his family.
Paul is donating all of his proceeds from the book to Base Camp 40, a non-profit organization that works with Veteran's. Paul's best friend of more than 50 years, Wayne, is a board member and a veteran of the Vietnam War. Wayne and his wife Lana lost their daughter Brooke, a 17-year member of the U.S. Airforce, to suicide.
About Base Camp 40
Since the first hunt in 2011, Base Camp 40, Warriors In The Wild has hosted over 400 Veterans on all expenses paid outdoor adventures across the country and British Columbia. Powered by the cornerstone of gracious landowners, amazing sponsors, and dedicated volunteers who embrace the meaning of giving back, BC40 forges ahead to give back to our nation’s brave Veterans via the "Gift Of The Wild". It is where, what once was thought to be lost, can be rediscovered. We simply open doors that inspire the resurrection of hope and faith, for the beauty in this life never leaves. It is only our perspective of our world that changes.