Teen's fried pickle petition brings joy, and a new menu item, to Children's Hospital Colorado

Even during months of hospitalization and recovery at Colorado Children's Hospital, 13-year-old Allyson Haberacker found a way to leave a lasting impact not just on the hearts of those around her, but also on the hospital cafeteria menu.

Allyson was recovering from a heart transplant earlier this year when she decided something important was missing from the hospital menu: fried pickles.

"They have fries, they have onion rings, they occasionally have jalapeño poppers," she said. "Why don't they have fried pickles? Fried pickles are one of the main food groups."

With the help of her child life specialist, Allyson launched what she called her "pickle petition," a seven-page list of signatures from anyone who visited her room, including doctors, nurses, and even new friends.

"We ended up getting 276 exactly," she said.

Her father, Joshua Haberacker, said Allyson may be quiet, but she makes her presence known.

"She may not be able to express her voice in volume, but she expresses it very much in action, unless she's yelling at her brother. Then she can get very loud," he joked.

The effort not only distracted her from the stress and isolation of long-term hospitalization but also gave her something to look forward to each day.

"It brought her a lot of joy," her father said. "Especially when she was stuck day in and day out sometimes, it kind of gave her something to focus on, to move out of that depression and get excited."

To Allyson's surprise, hospital staff took the petition seriously.

"I really thought they would just look at it and chuckle," she said.

They didn't. Instead, the hospital's food service team went to work. Soon after, "Allyson's Fried Pickles" appeared on the grill menu.

"It's crazy! I didn't know they would name it after me, and then they did!" Allyson said. "I was crossing my fingers, hoping they spelled it correctly."

Every four weeks, the item will appear on the menu; a delicious reminder of one young patient's determination to make her stay, and the stays of others, a little better.

"People like jalapeño poppers," Allyson said. "But they like fried pickles more."

As for the future, Allyson isn't quite in high school yet, but she's already thinking ahead.

"Right now, I want to be a child life specialist, so I can help people who are like, 'Why is this happening to me?'" she said. "I kind of understand."