SPOKANE, Wash. — Children receiving treatment at Shriners Children’s Spokane became more than just patients on Tuesday during the hospital’s early Halloween party!
Sponsored by Spirit Halloween, the annual party is a chance for children at the hospital to dress up and enjoy some fun and games. Some of Tuesday’s costumes included unicorns, superheroes and witches.
Eight-year-old George Rother broke out his costume shortly after the Halloween party began, running around the celebration in a blow-up outfit.
Just a week ago he was unable to run and in a cast.
“My cast just came off not too long ago,” Rother said. “I was like, ‘Hallelujah!'”
Rother had been wearing a cast after receiving a rod replacement in his leg, one of many procedures he has undergone at Shriners due to brittle bones. His mother, Marcelle Rother, said the family has relied on Shriners since George was an infant.
“When he was ten days old, we basically just started care there. And they’ve just taken really good care of him since then,” Marcelle Rother said.
The Halloween celebration is more than just a party for young patients. The event is made possible through a partnership between Shriners Children’s Spokane and Spirit Halloween that has raised over $1 million for the hospital since 2007.
“They put on this party, but also do a giant fundraiser for our hospital. And it’s a beautiful collaboration that we have together,” said Larissa Sims from Shriners Children’s Spokane.
The fundraising partnership aligns with Spirit Halloween’s mission of making hospitals less intimidating for children.
“Their motto is ‘making the hospital less scary for children,’ which is what our department does,” Sims said. “We’re a Rec Therapy and Child Life Department and we do all kinds of things in every part of our hospital to help kids feel more comfortable, more confident, to understand what’s happening.”
The money raised through the partnership funds events like the Halloween party and provides toys and activities that patients can use throughout the hospital. These resources help create positive experiences during what can be challenging medical treatments.
For more information and to support Shriners, you can shop at Spirit Halloween or make a donation to www.spiritofchildren.com.
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