HOLLYWOOD, FLA. (WSVN) - Some newborns at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood got into the spirit of the Halloween season by dressing up, with a little help from the staff, for a special celebration that was quite a treat for everyone involved.
7News cameras on Friday captured Jordan O’Brien as she held her baby boy at the neonatal intensive care unit of the hospital, which is part of Memorial Healthcare System. The infant was decked out in prison stripes with a matching cap.
“Hi, Hudson,” said O’Brien. “Yeah, he’s broken out.”
He was one of several babies who took part in Memorial Regional’s Halloween Costume Showcase.
“I was really excited that I was still able to dress him up being in here, and he looks so cute in his little outfit,” she said.
O’Brien then kissed her son on the cheek.
“A precious little boy,” she said.
Giovanni, meanwhile, was ready to fight crime in the iconic red, blue and yellow Superboy outfit. He is mighty in more ways than his mother, Elena Fava, can count.
Fava also got in the spirit by dressing up as Supermom.
“I’m so happy with the progress he’s doing here,” she said. “I think I’m a supermom — juggling being a NICU mom, driving two and a half hours every day to see my baby, and finishing nursing school.”
The tiniest and most critically ill patients find themselves at Memorial Regional’s NICU unit. Many have spent quite a while at the hospital for their little bodies to develop so they can be released.
Consequently, their families spend a lot of time at the hospital.
“This [event] gives families an opportunity to do something fun and special with their babies, even though they’re going through a very difficult time,” said Barbara Glassman, NICU Clinical Project Manager at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
Even one of the hospital’s therapy dogs got in on the fun. 7News cameras captured the captured the golden retriever dressed up as Aladdin, with a stuffed Abu riding on his back to keep him company.
Not to be outdone, the nurses got into character, such as one who sported a bunny tail.
Plenty of pictures were taken Friday. Among the babies ready for their closeup were a boy dressed as Mr. Incredible. Another boy, Brian, is 10 days old but is already buzzing around in a bee outfit.
“There’s a contest. I don’t know; we’re going to have to do some serious thinking about who is the best costume today,” said Glassman.
But the real showstopper was John Dorvil Jr., snug and comfy in his crib — in a Subway footlong costume.
“He was 12 inches long at birth. One pound, 12 ounces and 12 inches,” said his mother, “so he was a foot long.”
The outcome seemed bleak for John, who was born back on June 26, but months later, this celebration means the world to his mother.
“I didn’t even know he would be here to be able to celebrate it, so it’s memorable for me,” she said.
Hopefully, these babies’ first Halloween will be the beginning of many more to come.
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