UC Berkeley Mascot Visits Patients At Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek

WALNUT CREEK, CA — It was an afternoon of smiles and good cheer on the Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek pediatrics floor on Friday, when UC Berkeley Mascot Oski visited children of all ages.

“As a Cal graduate, it was great to have our university mascot here cheering on the kids as much as Oski cheers on the Cal teams,” said Kaiser Permanente Walnut Creek pediatrician Matt Diffley, MD.

It all began when Cal alumna Marsha Roberts, chief of staff at the hospital, reached out to Diffley to arrange a visit from Oski. The Cal bear has uplifted people’s spirits since 1941. On Friday, he whirled, twirled and high-fived the young patients.

Claire Kavanaugh, 5, was delighted to meet Oski. Her mom and dad, Kat and Pete, said the visit was a morale booster.

“It was nice to see him,” Claire added. “He waved at me.”

“Parents and children never expect to be in the hospital – it can be uncomfortable and scary,” Diffley said. “Oski’s visit made the hospital stay less stressful for our families, and the level of energy among our staff was elevated. It was a great day.”