Superheroes go the extra mile to make kids at KGH smile

On Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022, patients and families in the inpatient pediatric unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Kingston General Hospital were lucky enough to watch a team of caped crusaders descend on the exterior of the building, “trading fighting crime for fighting grime,” Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) said in a media release.

For a seventh year, Batman, Ironman, Spiderman, Star-Lord, Captain Marvel and the Hulk—all power cleaners from Kingston’s Elite Window Cleaning—”swung by to put a sparkle on windows and young faces,” the hospital agency shared.

“We love this tradition at KHSC and can’t wait for superheroes to arrive every year,” said Kerri-Lee Bisonette, Manager of Pediatrics, NICU and Child Life Services at KHSC.

“Our staff dress up themselves as caped crusaders and decorate the units for this special day. It’s absolutely worth it when you see the faces of these young patients light up. It’s good to help them forget they’re in the hospital, even if just for a few minutes.”

The “grime fighters” volunteer their day to bring some joy to the tiny superheroes on the other side of the glass, and the day is “always a highlight”, said Elite owner and CEO Chris Stoness.

“There’s something magical about taking the simple task of washing a window and using it to bring joy to the people who need it most,” he added. “When you see the amazement in the kids’ eyes and how they forget about their current situation, it almost takes your breath away. 

“Superhero Day is also our way of tipping our hat to the front-line staff who work as real-life superheroes in our hospitals every single day. All of our staff across the company wear a red cape that day and collect donations for the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation to give back to our community, which is more and more supportive through donations to the hospital.”

While the event and the excitement around it grow a bit each year, the focus remains the same. “We know it can be stressful to be sick and in the hospital for both the kids and their parents,” shared Bisonette. “Having fun like this helps to ease that stress. We want our young patients to know that superheroes don’t just exist in the movies—there are real-life superheroes everywhere.”