First lady Melanie Trump visited a childrens’ hospital in Rome on Wednesday and a young boy who was waiting for a donor to be found for a heart transplant.
“Upon landing in Belgium, I learned a young boy and his family who had been waiting for a heart transplant was informed that the hospital has found a donor,” Melania said in a statement. “I read a book and held hands with this special little one just a few hours ago, and now my own heart is filled with joy over this news.”
Melania Trump met with children from nine different countries—including Iraq and Nepal—who are patients at the Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital.
The hospital, which is run by the Catholic Church, cares for about 600 patients and is the largest pediatric research hospital in Europe, according to Newsweek.
“My visit to Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital today was very moving,” Trump said in the statement. “To spend time speaking to and coloring with children who have such a positive spirit despite illness was an amazing gift.
“The time I spent with the little ones in the Intensive Care Unit is something I will never forget, and I will pray for each of them daily,” Trump said. “I want to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of the hospital, who all do such beautiful and critical work.”
Trump’s spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, said she requested a visit to the hospital and that visiting the children was “very emotional” for the first lady, the Washington Examiner reported.
The Examiner reported that in addition to English and her native Slovenian, Trump speaks Italian, German, French, and Serbo-Croation.