Prisma Health Children’s Hospital holds “reverse trick-or-treat” Halloween parade

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Prisma Health Children’s Hospital held its annual “reverse trick-or-treat” parade this morning — bringing the fun of Halloween right to the patients’ rooms.

Over 100 team members make up the parade — some dressed as trolls, doughnuts, Minecraft characters, princesses and pirates.

Christy Fink with the Childlife and Special Programs division says laughter is always the best medicine.

“We want to make sure that we keep bringing in all the things that would be typical for children. Whether they are sick or not, they’re still children. So we want to make sure that we’re still celebrating that and we’re taking every opportunity that we can to bring festivities to them,” Fink says, adding, “I can’t imagine, you will always remember your 1st child’s Halloween, but if your first child’s Halloween is in the children’s hospital, we want to make sure you have a good memory for that as well.”

Jessica Locklear’s 22-month-old daughter Aubrey was diagnosed with leukemia.

At one point Locklear says Aubrey was even temporarily paralyzed.

“Y’all God is so good, and if you don’t know God, please lean on him for anything. For him to bring my baby from not moving, to needing oxygen 24/7, to being on a ventilator, to being on so much medication that even a grown person wouldn’t be able to tolerate it, to her sitting up now — she’s communicating so good . It’s a blessing, y’all. God is so good, and that’s all I can say,” Locklear says.

Locklear finds the staff and the parade to been amazing, saying, “Yes they’re sick, but they go the extra mile to make sure they’re comfortable and to make sure they’re treated the same. You know? And it’s really a blessing.”

To follow Aubrey’s journey, folks can check out a Facebook group that Locklear set up for Aubrey called Aubrey Gene Strong.