Patricia Allen’s legacy grows with Oishei Children’s Hospital through new wing and fund

Buffalo Bills fans once again have made the kind of difference that makes many in Bills Mafia proud—they’ve come together to donate to honor Josh Allen’s late grandmother, Patricia Allen. Now those donations are cementing her legacy with Oishei Childeren’s Hospital.

Patricia Allen passed away on Saturday September 7, the day before the Bills would play (and eventually beat) the Seattle Seahawks in Orchard Park. Josh Allen decided to play in the game despite the loss and led the Bills to an impressive win over a good opponent. Only after the game did fans learn of her passing and Josh Allen’s loss.

In response, Bills fans across the globe donated almost $700,000 to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo, a facility that Josh Allen has partnered with since joining the Bills and frequently visits and with which he volunteers. This flood of solidarity and support has not only made everyone feel good about Bills Mafia (again), but has also allowed Oishei to take things one step further.

Oishei has announced that they are naming a current wing of the hospital called the “sports wing” as the Patricia Allen Recovery Wing. Within that wing will be a playroom on the tenth floor called The Buffalo Bills Fan Fun Zone. In addition to that, with input from Josh Allen, the hospital is establishing “The Patricia Allen Fund.”

Oishei has said the fund will “provide ongoing support to the pediatric critical care team at Oishei Children’s Hospital who provide life-saving care to pediatric patients. This team includes the pediatric transport team who transfer over 800 patients annually to Oishei Children’s Hospital from all eight counties of Western New York and Northern Pennsylvania. This incredible team is the only one of its kind in the region and provides care and treatment in the most critical situations. The ‘Patricia Allen Fund’ will help ensure this team receives necessary equipment, training and support they need to be ready for any life-saving traumas or events. The ‘Patricia Allen Fund’ will also help families in need with support for things like emotional support, meals, programming and activities while in the hospital.”

This gesture is one of the many that Bills Mafia has on their resume showing their good nature and community minded priorities. However, it is worth noting that Patricia Allen herself shared some of these priorities in her life. She was a volunteer for many community activities: Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little League, Pop Warner football, swim team, parents’ clubs, and Panoche Guild (that was once a major fundraiser for Valley Children’s Hospital). This makes the creation of her fund at Oishei a fitting addition to her legacy.

You can read the full press release from Oishei Childeren’s Hospital here and you can read the beautiful description of Patricia Allen’s life in her obituary here.