A little girl dressed as Elsa from Disney’s Frozen strolled the halls of Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach this morning in search of coloring books, toys and treats.
Shy at first, Elsa became more excited for the trick-or-treating experience as she went from one treat station to the next. And her chaperone, a Long Beach firefighter, ran to keep up with her.
About 25 firefighters from the non-profit LBFD Kids volunteered their time this morning to accompany pediatric patients from the hospital around the building to grab treats from various departments, like the gift shop, pharmacy, imaging department and blood donor center.
One department was transformed into a kid-friendly haunted house, complete with ghost props.
Fire Captain Greg Curiel said the event has been going on for 15 years and is always something he looks forward to.
“These kids are here not by choice and they are unable to spend Halloween at home with their family and are unable to go through a haunted house,” he said. “The hospital does a great job of setting everything up to ensure these kids can have fun. It’s a really good teamwork between our guys taking the kids around and the great job by the hospital for setting everything up.”
This event is one of the only chances for the pediatric patients to go through the entire hospital, including the adult medical center, said Debi Fingerhut, senior child life specialist at the hospital. It’s something everyone, from the children to the staff, look forward to each year.
“It’s a huge morale booster for everyone,” she said. “Staff at the hospital anticipate seeing the kids and how happy they are. It’s a super big boost for everyone. It’s fantastic for the kids. It reinforces that even though they’re sick, they can still participate in normal activities.”
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