Batman, the Hulk, Iron Man and other superheroes were hanging around Kingston General Hospital Thursday.
And their window-washing exploits drew plenty of smiles inside the pediatric ward.
Windows on the 10th floor of the hospital were filled with excited faces and little hands pressed in anticipation of a ‘super’ surprise.
“It’s fantastic, everyone is very excited. it’s a huge morale boost for staff, there were nurses running around finding capes earlier, and just tons of smiles on the patient’s faces, which is always fantastic to see,” child life assistant Laura Picardi said.
Patients in the pediatric ward received a visit from ‘your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man’ and his friends.
“This is our seventh year doing this. Spider-Man, I’ve been able to get here every year. It was awesome to see the kids again. It’s been a tough couple of years so we’re, as always, super excited to get over there and see them,” a costumed Spider-Man told Global News.
In what’s become an annual tradition at Kingston Health Sciences Centre – superhero window washers from Elite Window Cleaning were providing smiles to the real-life superhero children receiving care.
“It’s my favourite day of the year just because it gives an opportunity to use our trade, which is a pretty humble trade of being a window washer, and kind of give back to the community and give back to the hospital, and give something that’s a little different for kids that may be spending weeks and months inside a room where they only have a window to look out,” Elite Window Cleaning founder Chris Stoness said.
“It’s definitely very nice, a nice break away from your typical hospital stay,” says Jessica Mitchell.
She is currently staying in the pediatric ward with her daughter, Blakely Brown, as she receives chemotherapy for a liver cancer diagnosis from last July.
“Nice to kind of escape reality and just, you know, see all the smiles from all the superheroes kind of coming down the windows.”
“The importance of fun, I think sometimes we forget sometimes just what a key part of our lives it is,” says Picardi. “And it’s not easy to come by when you’re in the hospital. So, just a day like this where you get something out of the ordinary that wouldn’t necessarily happen at home or at school, it just creates a lot of excitement and provides a really fun day for everyone.”
The special day serves as a reminder that, as Batman says, “a hero can be anyone.”
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