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Patients at Inova Loudoun Hospital received a special visit on Halloween from members of Loudoun County Fire and Rescue dressed in superhero costumes, who rappelled down the exterior of the building outside their hospital room windows.
Afterward, hospital staff and first responders dressed in costumes handed out treats for the patients in the pediatric unit .
The event was designed to bring smiles to patients in Inova’s pediatric unit, according to Cindy Defrancesco, Child Life specialist at Inova Loudoun Hospital.
“We love it, the kids love it, and now they feel like they aren’t missing out on Halloween,” she said.
While the unit has done the trick-or-treating event for more than five years, this was the first time first responders rappelled down the side of the building, and they hope to make it an annual event, Defrancesco said.
“It’s so nice to work with them, and we are all here for the same reason — to make our patients feel normal while in the hospital for Halloween. It’s a nice way to experience it here,” she said.
On Halloween, there were 11 patients in the 12-bed pediatric unit, which can be expanded if more beds are needed, she said.
Patient Eugene Kim said she was planning on going trick-or-treating this year, but since she was in the hospital, this was an alternative “memorable Halloween experience” she will never forget.
Another patient, Jakub Porada, agreed.
“It was really cool to see the rappellers. There is so much stuff to do, and the gifts made it really fun,” he said.