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SeaWorld brings Rudolph for special visit at University Hospital

SAN ANTONIO -- Shining bright and red Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer guided a sleigh full of gifts into University Hospital today and promised children Santa would bring more.

SAN ANTONIO -- Shining bright and red Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer guided a sleigh full of gifts into University Hospital today and promised children Santa would bring more.

Even one of his elves spoke with the kids.

"You want to make a list for Santa just let me know and I’ll make sure he gets it," she said.

"We want to bring more positivity back to them because they are going through a lot," Jennifer Ibara with University Hospital said.

The North Pole visitors greeted children dealing with traumatic injuries and illnesses, like Jose Jr. Rocha.

"We never passed through this and it’s real hard," his father emotionally said.

He said the 5-year-old was burned in a bonfire and hopes to be home soon.

But little Jose was shy to reveal his list.

"It's a secret," Jose said.

Jose Jr. is one of 60 young patients on the children's floor who will all get cute stuffed animals from SeaWorld and hopefully an unforgettable impression.

"To hear the Child Life specialist tell me, 'I haven’t seen my child smile in a while and this is the first time they laughed and smiled and not cry,' that’s a huge accomplishment on our end," Ibara said.

Ibara said it's the first time SeaWorld visited during the Christmas season but they hold events like this year round.

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