Cleveland – Every afternoon around 3 p.m., a small group of construction workers makes a final stop before heading home. They go to a floor of a building under construction next to Cleveland Clinic Children’s, where they wave and form heart shapes toward a hospital window.

On the other side, 4-year-old Brinley Wyczalek waits, sending heart-shaped hands back in return.

What began as a brief flashlight exchange has grown into a daily ritual between Brinley, her family, and the workers building Cleveland Clinic’s new Neurological Institute.

The connection started one evening in January after Brinley had spent weeks in the hospital. While playing with her parents, her father, Travis Wyczalek, shined a flashlight toward the construction site. “To our surprise, someone flashed a light right back at us,” said her mother, Berlyn Wyczalek.

Days later, workers taped a sign facing Brinley’s room reading, “Get Well Soon.” The family responded with their own sign: “Thank you. Waiting for a heart.” Another message appeared from the site: “Praying for you and your family. Keep fighting.”

Union carpenter Devan Nail, one of the first to deepen the connection, said, “We build hospitals to help people heal. But seeing Brinley made it personal. We wanted her to know she has a whole crew behind her.”

Workers later organized donations for Brinley, including coloring books, games, a signed hard hat, and a stuffed bear nearly twice her size. The exchange of signs and messages has continued, bringing hope each day.

“That time each day means everything to us,” Berlyn Wyczalek said. “With so much uncertainty, they’ve given us something joyful to count on.”

Brinley was born healthy, but at age 2 doctors discovered her heart had become severely weakened following a combination of viruses. Despite months of treatment, her condition worsened.

She has been hospitalized at Cleveland Clinic Children’s for more than 100 days. Brinley was admitted on Oct. 31, 2025, and received a Berlin Heart on Thanksgiving in November 2025. The device helps pump blood while she waits for a heart transplant.

“The connection with the construction workers has been incredibly meaningful,” said Shahnawaz Amdani, MD, Brinley’s pediatric cardiologist and Section Head of Pediatric Heart Transplant at Cleveland Clinic Children’s. “Healing isn’t only physical. Emotional support and human connection matter deeply, especially for children.”

Each day, the workers pause — a reminder that even small acts of kindness can make a big difference.

“All of this started with a flashlight,” Berlyn Wyczalek said. “And it’s shown us that even in the hardest moments, there is so much good.”

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