No media was alerted as he and his security detail, dressed as Santa's elves, handed out gifts to kids who will be spending Christmas in a hospital room instead of their homes.
A photo of "Santa," posted by the mother of of the patients, went viral days after the official visit.
Natalie Smith, according to The Daily Mail, lost one daughter, Shayde, in January to a heart disease called restrictive cardomyopathy. Her other daughter Emily had a heart replacement, but her body is rejecting the organ, forcing her in and out of the hospital.
Bush was not only accompanied by his Secret Service detail, members of the Texas Rangers also came along to give Emily and the other patients presents.
While Bush keeps his personal appearances to a minimum, the week before the hospital visit, Bush made another surprise visit to the Sept. 11 museum in New York City on Dec. 14. A museum spokesman said Bush arrived unannounced around 6 p.m. Sunday, while the museum was open to the public, the New York Post reported.
The paper reported it was Bush's first visit to the museum.
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