Aliza Weaver, a bubbly 5-year-old from Fox Chapel who was recuperating from surgery, stared in disbelief at an unexpected visitor she had July 29.

OK, the visitor was not one you would expect to see wandering around the busy but solemn corridors of Children's Hospital in Oakland.

But that Saturday, a miniature horse named Lucky Star's Major was bringing smiles and, perhaps, hope to young patients as part of an effort by his owner to brighten the lives of children faced with serious health problems.

	Alyssa Cwanger, Post-Gazette Kerry O'Donnell, of Mt. Lebanon, and her miniature horse, Lucky Star's Major, greet Aliza Weaver, 5, of Fox Chapel, at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh on a Saturday afternoon in July. Aliza had had surgery the previous day at the hospital to prevent fluid buildup on the brain. Click photo for larger image.

This day, Aliza, accompanied by her dad, left her room to pet the horse and follow him down the hallway.

"At first, I thought it was pretend," she said.

Her father, Jeff Weaver, thanked the horse's owner, Kerry O'Donnell, "for bringing us a real treat."

His daughter had been recuperating from emergency surgery to stop a buildup of fluid in her brain.

Ms. O'Donnell, of Mt. Lebanon, has been bringing the horse to Children's on some Saturdays for the past two years. She started the program to honor the memory of her nephew, who died in 2002.

Mary Diesing, a child-life specialist at the hospital, helps coordinate the visits and called them ''wonderful.''

"It's good for patients, families and staff, and the physicians just love it," Ms. Diesing said.

She said the horse had a positive impact on both the therapeutic and mental wellbeing of the young patients.

"It's a great distraction from the health concerns we're dealing with," she said.

Everywhere Lucky Star's Major trots, he brings smiles, even though he is just for petting, not riding.

"Oh, he's so cute," said Amy Manos, a nurse on the 10th floor. "I'd like to adopt him."

For Chad Scanlon, a sixth-grader at Holy Trinity School in Latrobe, who is recovering from brain surgery, the sight of the horse at his door encouraged him to try to stand on his own. He was so excited he walked down the hall to pet him, with a little assist from his parents, Jim and Marie Scanlon.

Ms. Diesing said strict hygienic guidelines surround this hospital-approved visit, just as they do for others, such as the equally popular therapy dog program.

The horse must be washed and groomed immediately before coming to the hospital and must have current veterinary records. A staff member accompanies Ms. O'Donnell and the horse on rounds. Anyone touching the horse has to clean his hands with an anti-bacterial gel.

And what does the entourage do about, er, the horse's you-know-what? A plastic pail is carried behind the horse by one of the O'Donnell family members to handle accidents.

Still, perhaps knowing the importance of being there, Lucky Star's Major has shown wonderful control during the visits, which typically last about two hours.

The bucket has been used once.

Ms. O'Donnell, 43, said most children love horses. She acknowledges that she always wanted one, but still, Lucky Star's Major, a 31-inch-tall pinto-palomino mix who "looks like something out of a fairy tale," was acquired as a result of pure serendipity.

Ms. O'Donnell said she and her family were devastated at the sudden death in 2002 of her sister Meghan O'Donnell's son, Ellis, 5. She said the little boy died from the residue of serious injuries he had suffered before he was adopted by her sister.

Ms. O'Donnell took time off from her job as president of the Maurice Falk Medical Fund in Oakland and drove to the West Coast to find solace in camping at a number of national parks there.

Then, driving back to Pittsburgh, she came upon the Lucky Star Ranch in Plainview, Minn., which, since 1991, has been raising miniature horses.

She learned that such horses are often used as therapy for children and promptly bought Lucky Star's Major when she learned that he was born June 5, 2003. June 5 was her nephew's birthday.

"To see the number of children who can smile through their tears is really heartbreaking," Ms. Donnelly said of the visits.

She said she had a special affection and respect for the Pittsburgh hospital because of the outstanding care Ellis received there.

Ms. Donnelly refuses requests to use the horse in advertising or for private parties and intends to use him solely for special-needs children. She recently began training him to pull a cart to be used with deaf children.

It originally took about four months to train the horse with the help of her sister, Pam O'Donnell, who operates the Mare's Nest, an animal shelter in Canonsburg. That's where Luck Star's Major is boarded.

The horse venture has become a family effort. Ms. O'Donnell's father, William, 72, of Venetia, and her sister and Ellis' mother, Meghan O'Donnell, 38, of Canonsburg, accompany her on the hospital visits.

Meghan O'Donnell works as a social worker at Forbes Hospice, where she is involved in establishing a special hospice care program designed for children.

The sisters' aunt, Jean Onderko, who was visiting from her home in Denver, acted as a photographer on the July 29 visit.

The O'Donnells give each child a Polaroid photo showing him or her with the horse.

A smiling Andree Seymore, 10, of Pittsburgh, said the photo would prove to her sister that she had seen the horse.

"It's quite an experience," an emotional William O'Donnell said.

For more, call Ms. O'Donnell at 412-480-1793.To reach the Mare's Nest call 724-873-1426.