Pediatric Patients Get Break To Enjoy Halloween On Long Island
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Halloween is truly a holiday for children, but what if they are ill and in the hospital?
As CBS2's Valerie Castro reported, one Long Island hospital staff brought tricks and treats to the children.
The brave youngsters are receiving medical treatment in the pediatric ward at Nassau University Medical Center. But all of that was set aside for some serious trick-or-treating.
Wilson Flores, 13, is recovering from back surgery. But as Captain America, he has filled his bag with goodies.
"It's fun, and they have a lot of candy," Wilson said.
Superheroes ruled the day, even for the hospital staff.
"I think it's absolutely wonderful. You see them all walking by. They have the biggest smiles on their faces," said care coordinator Samantha Norman, "so it's great; it's very exciting."
So many staffers dressed up that it wasn't easy to tell who were the real kids in the room. Yet, in-hospital trick-or-treating was aimed at giving families coping with illness a big morale boost.
"We understand, they're going through a tough time," said resident physician Dr. Ketan Patel. "They can't really celebrate Halloween at home with their family. We at least try to give them a little escape from what they're going through."
One girl who dressed up as a princess was hospitalized for sickle cell anemia. But her mother said she was responding to treatment.
"They said they're going to send her home tomorrow if she doesn't have a fever overnight," said Anthuanett Moreno.
One kid dressed as Superboy showed off his muscles. Mason Simmons, 4, is not sick – he was just there to look out for his sister.
"His sister is an outpatient here and she's at home, so he's going to share his candy with her and have a good Halloween," said Lauren Simmons of Hempstead.
Mason loaded up on extra treats for his sister, and he knows what he plans to tell her and everybody else.
"Happy Halloween!" Mason said.
The staff delivered treats to many other kids upstairs at the hospital who could not participate in a parade and meet the news media.