Hundreds of children who were born prematurely or with special needs reunited Thursday night for University Health’s annual Halloween Fall Fest, turning a night that was only open to families into a celebration of progress and play.
The event, organized by University Health’s Child Life team, was held at Morgan’s Wonderland, an accessible theme park for people of all abilities. University Health said the children — dressed as ghosts, witches and vampires — rode a Ferris wheel and merry-go-round, went down slides and trick-or-treated.
Dr. Leslie-Anne Dietrich, a neonatologist and director of University Health’s PREMIEre program for children born prematurely, said early services can help children catch up on skills delayed by an early birth.
“Skills these children need to work on in their first years are things like learning how to sit, learning how to reach for objects, crawling and walking,” Dietrich said. “Their language development is, in particular, very important as well as their problem-solving skills.”
University Health said the children at the Fall Fest have participated in at least one of three programs that support premature infants and children with medical and developmental needs: the Comprehensive Care Clinic, the NICU Graduate Program and the PREMIEre program.
Two-year-old Regina de la Rosa attended dressed as a princess in purple. University Health said she was born with a deformed trachea, and her mother, Karla de la Rosa, credited the speech, feeding, and physical therapies Regina has received with helping her progress.
“The help we are receiving is why she looks like that,” Karla de la Rosa said, pointing to her smiling daughter. “It’s very important for all the babies with special needs.”
Kristal Castro said her 7-year-old daughter, Jessie Rose, spent 45 days in the neonatal intensive care unit, and that services for neonatal babies helped her entire family adjust.
“Those services are extremely important, not just for the children. They made sure my husband and me and my boys, we were also included in her care,” Castro said.
Dr. Glen Medellin, a palliative pediatrician who attended dressed as Shrek, said the event is also meaningful for medical teams.
“It’s beautiful to see these children out here, not sick and with their families,” Medellin said. “It makes them feel normal.”