‘Moments of joy’ for patients, families of Bethesda’s Children’s Inn at NIH

Annual Christmas in July celebration brings together young patients, police officers for an afternoon of fun

July 24, 2026 10:59 a.m. | Updated: July 24, 2026 11:06 a.m.

The Osvold family of Blaine, Minnesota, have been coming to the DMV area every year for the last three years so that 8-year-old Owen can take part in a study on Lesch-Nyan syndrome. The study involves lab work, ultrasound, nutrition consultation, and meeting with various physicians, but at least one day of this visit is dedicated to joy – Christmas in July.

The Osvolds were one of 15 families who took part in the annual celebration on Wednesday organized by police from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Montgomery County as well as the Children’s Inn at NIH.

“It’s amazing that we can come to a place halfway across our country and be treated like we’re family,” Owen’s mother, Nicole Osvold, told Bethesda Today.

The afternoon began with a police escort north on Interstate 270 from the Children’s Inn at NIH in Bethesda to the Rio Lakefront in Gaithersburg, where the families were greeted with a gift bag from Dick’s House of Sport that included a soft baseball, a $10 gift card and play pass for a choice of hitting time, rock climbing and golf at the store.

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Then it was time to ride the carousel. As the carousel spun, Pharrell Williams’ “Happy” and other upbeat songs played as kids, families and police officers – plus Santa and Mrs. Claus – lapped around the carousel.

The next stop was Target, where families received gift cards and paired up with police officers to shop for toys, art supplies and clothes.

Officer Austin Fogarty with the county police has participated in this event for multiple years. He told Bethesda Today that the joy from everyone involved – from the officers to the patients – is what keeps him coming back year after year.

“I just love bringing the kids out and seeing them smile,” Fogarty said.“And having my kids myself makes me want to do this with other kids.”

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Owen’s twin sister, Isabelle, and his father, Erik, also attended the event, their first time getting to partake in all the fun. In 2024, Owen and Nicole participated in Christmas in July, which Nicole said was “so much fun.”

The twins raced around Target with the officers, filling their cart with slime, Lego and construction paper.

For Owen and his family, this was a brief reprieve from a visit to the DMV that includes data collection for research. Lesch-Nyan syndrome is extremely rare and Owen is part of the NIH Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism program, led by Dr. Oleg Shchelochkov.

Osvold family: From left to right: Nicole, Erik, Isabelle and Owen Osvold shopped at the Rio Target as part of the Christmas in July celebration. Credit: Danny Chung-A-Fung

Nicole Osvold said over the three-year-period, Owen has “made noticeable progress in his speech, coordination and overall development.”

“It has been wonderful to see Dr. Shchelochkov and his team closely follow Owen’s growth, and we are encouraged by the improvements we see each year,” Nicole Osvold told Bethesda Today.

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Meghan Smith is the Associate Director with Volunteer Services and Community Arts with the Children’s Inn. She told Bethesda Today that all 24 families staying at the Inn were invited to join and that events like these support the Children’s Inn’s mission to “be a place like home for families going through research studies.”

“We have special events throughout the year to bring joy,” Smith said. “When we can bring those special moments of joy when they’re going through a difficult time, that’s what it’s all about.”

The night ended with dinner provided by Silver Diner.

For Smith, the best part of these events is seeing the joy on the kids’ faces.

“They’re really not thinking about the tough time that they’re going through,” Smith said. “Just seeing how excited they are to, like, get photos with Santa, like a selfie with the cops and just shopping for fun toys. … It’s awesome.”

And for the Osvolds, the only question they’ll have to deal with is how to fit all the toys and items in their luggage.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine