The word “joy” doesn’t begin to describe how patients feel when college and professional athletes visit them in their time of recovery. But joy and happiness was spread all around when the University of Maryland Terrapins women's basketball team visited the hospital in early February.

The Terps played some games with children in the pediatric unit and then went and shot some hoops during a group therapy session with some of our spinal cord injury patients. Rehabilitation is an often challenging, grueling time for patients trying to overcome some form of disability, whether it’s a temporary setback or long-term battle.

While you see the patients’ eyes light up when they’re visited by someone notable, you also see the joy on the players’ faces too. "It is amazing to go visit the children and people at MedStar NRH,” said Essence Townsend, a senior center with the Terps. “We definitely don't even realize how much we can make someone's day just by being there. It inspires us to do that more. Those people are amazing."

-By Derek Berry