FALL RIVER, MASS. (WHDH) - Children undergoing treatment at a Fall River hospital received a super surprise Wednesday.
The pediatrics department at St. Anne’s Hospital is now equipped with Power Wheels and Superheros ready to transport and escort the hospital’s youngest patients into surgery all thanks to the Friends of Jack Foundation.
“The goal is to have these cars in every hospital under the foundation free of charge to them, but we believe it’s a good way to get the kids into the O.R.,” Founder Jill Fearons said.
Deborah Oliveira, a grandmother of one patient said, “She was excited to go in there before she went into the operating room, and she got to ride on the race track as she was going into the O.R., and it took a lot of her anxiety away.”
It is not the just the children who are getting a kick out of the new additions, hospital staffers say they are more than happy to suit up and play along.
“As an anesthesiologist, it makes my job a lot funner. We’ve utilized diversion or distraction techniques in the past with varying results, but the combination of masks, costumes and cars really make patients feel like they are the character,” Chief Anesthesiologist Betty Medeiros-Beattie said.
The Friends of Jack Foundation was established by Fearons in honor of her son jack who is living with a rare health condition.
Fearrons raises money to help kids going through tough medical issues.
Medeiros-Beattie said, “So obviously thankful to Jill and the Friends of Jack Foundation to provide this for us.”
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