Some kids at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia got heroic treatment on Tuesday afternoon when a host of comic book crusaders came to visit.
Window washers from Indianapolis-based S&K Building Services assigned to clean the side of the hospital near its entrance, dressed up as superheroes to surprise pediatric patients.
Children, parents and staff watched from the fifth floor of the hospital building on Harper Street as Captain America, Iron Man, The Flash and, of course, Spider-Man scaled the windows (with the help of special equipment and a crane) and greeted them from “the skies.”
“When you see a sick child, it impacts your heart,” said Wellstar MCG Health president Ralph Turner. “So you want to do everything we can to try and just be a little bright shining light in their day.”
The hospital took advantage of the regular upkeep and maintenance projects across the MCG campus, particularly washing the windows, and turned into an uplifting occasion, Turner said, referencing similar initiatives at the Children’s Hospital, such as its introduction in 2019 of a therapy dog to comfort patients.
“It’s an incredible opportunity to be skilled, like these guys are, with ropes and boom lifts and be able to sort of fly through the air,” said Mike Peine, area manager with S&K, which has arranged similar superhero-themed events, he notes, for clients throughout the country. “The kids absolutely go berserk for it, they love it. They’re like, ‘where in the world did this come from?”
A similar response came from the adults, including caregivers, who were pointing, shouting and taking pictures along with their young patients.
“We’re all being kids at heart,” said Turner, emphasizing that positive impacts on both the children and the staff build a momentum that aids the healing process. “People who are sad have a hard time healing… You see what we do just to help uplift their spirits, [and] that makes them even more energized to help take care of our patients.”
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter covering business for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
