DETROIT (WXYZ) — No tricks, just treats and a lot of fun at Children's Hospital of Michigan where staff brought Halloween to kids stuck inside.
The special event is for kids like 10-year-old Jakob Wrouble, who is recovering from digestive issues.
"We usually spend Halloween together, you know what I mean," Jakob's father Terry Wrouble said. "I have five other children and they all miss him so much."
Ten-year-old Ryleigh Freeman is also in the hospital. She is dealing with appendix surgery complications.
"I'm really hurting," Ryleigh said.
She told us she is having a hard time missing out on one of her favorite holidays.
"It's because I don't get to spend my Halloween with my friends and family," Ryleigh said.
To cheer these kids up, hospital staff put on a spooky celebration.
"It's really hard to be in the hospital, especially around a holiday or something really normal that kids love to do, so we want to bring that feeling into patients and families," organizer and child life and volunteer services manager Maureen Stys said.
They gave patients the opportunity to pick out costumes and go trick-or-treating around the hospital.
"I feel special," Ryleigh said.
The gesture made a difficult time easier on parents as well including Sheba Perry, who was visiting her 17-year-old daughter at Children Hospital's while also taking care of her 2-year-old.
"This is a great idea because it's so hard to balance between two children, working, being at the hospital with one and still being a parent. It's like you're being torn between three different places," Perry said. "Anybody who's standing here today doing Halloween and they have to do the same thing that I'm doing or anybody period that's in the hospital with their children: stay strong, continue to persevere and we'll all get through this."
