CHLA brings the Halloween spirit to pediatric patients

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Kids who are in the hospital can't go trick or treating on Halloween. So the volunteers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles https://www.chla.org/ brought the holiday spirit to them!

Carol Hamamoto, who is a Child Life manager at the hospital, said they planned some fun activities for the kids.

"We like to make sure we bring the fun in," she said.

A party like this in a hospital is not an easy trick to pull off, but it was a huge treat for the young patients.

"We just like to make sure that our patients and families have an opportunity to celebrate and have fun and not miss out on this really cool day," Hamamoto said.

For immuno-compromised kids who can't leave their hospital rooms, volunteers bring a piece of the party up to them. Halloween cards from all over the world are being distributed to patients like 1-year-old Jeremiah who has been in the hospital for two months. His Mom said he's been there waiting for a bone marrow transplant.

Each of the Halloween greetings, called "Bat-O-Grams" contains personalized comments and Halloween themed jokes. During a quiet moment, Jeremiah and his Mom read the cards together.

The Halloween cards are sweet and sentimental, but they are also powerful. An anonymous donor gave $1 for each card, and the campaign raised $25,000 for patient care at CHLA. That translates to a lot of love!

The good news for Jeremiah is he matched three potential bone marrow donors.

Halloween will be a happy memory here in this hospital hallway.