Creating Magical Halloween Memories for Kids with Cancer
When our son spent Halloween in the hospital, it hurt to be separated. While certainly not the largest holiday of the year, Halloween has always been a fun, family-oriented night for us. Creating Halloween memories for him was our main focus that year. With the help of the hospital staff, we took a sad situation and created a fun twist.
Creating Halloween memories for children hospitalized is especially important. Many don’t leave their room for days due to weakened immune systems and side effects caused by treatment. Today, I want to share some fun things we did to make the day special. We turned a sad situation into a memory we’ll never forget.
I understand not all families celebrate Halloween or see it as a special day. But for families dealing with heavy situations like childhood cancer, sometimes celebrations or distractions help break up the difficult emotions. Creating Halloween memories can be an excellent way to break up the inpatient stay and encourage children and parents to have something to look forward to.
Here are some of the topics I’ll share in today’s post:
The significance of creating Halloween memories
Sensitivity and understanding
Tailored costume ideas
Home-based Halloween fun
Creating Halloween memories in hospital settings
If you’re new to my blog, thank you so much for being here! My name is Michaela, and I started this blog to share our story and encourage other moms who need an outside perspective. I share my life as a mother, our son’s cancer journey, and our changes to embrace a non-toxic lifestyle.
Here are some recent posts I’ve shared:
Finding Motivation When Motherhood Gets Overwhelming
Advocating for Pediatric Cancer Research
The Importance of Making Mom Friends
I know this post may not apply to everyone, but I appreciate everyone who chooses to read it anyway. Celebrating any holiday separated from your family is difficult, but this is even more true for families with cancer diagnoses. We worked to make a big deal out of Halloween to help our son feel special when we couldn’t physically be together as a family. Creating Halloween memories helped us do that.
Lucas on Halloween 2019.
The significance of creating Halloween memories
Do you have any special memories from when you were a child? What specifically makes them so special to you?
My son was 5 years old the year he had an infection he struggled to clear and needed to be hospitalized for help. He was about a year into treatment for a rare form of leukemia and had been hospitalized quite a few times for treatment, but we had always been lucky to avoid the holidays. When we got the update that morning that Lucas still had not cleared the infection in time and would need to stay at least another night, it crushed us. He needed the care, which was understandable, but being separated broke our hearts.
The staff made the night special for our son with crafts, costumes, and their version of trick or treating, allowing the kids to have fun while remaining safe in their rooms.
It’s been 4 years since that Halloween in the hospital, and my son still brings up the fun activities he got to do with Dad in the hospital. He was sad to be separated, but he remembers the fun over the hurt every time he brings it up.
Sensitivity and understanding
Children hospitalized deserve to create special memories no matter how difficult. It is crucial to be sensitive to a family’s situation and what they want to do. Ask if they want to celebrate and what they want the day to look like. Understand that they may be struggling emotionally, being separated from other family members, and unable to participate in family traditions.
Tailored costume ideas
Some children may need costumes that are comfortable around tubes, ports, and other medical devices. When possible, get creative! Our son did not have many issues wearing a costume, but consider any medical equipment the child needs before suggesting costumes.
Home-based Halloween fun
If a family is able to be home but does not feel comfortable celebrating with traditional activities, suggest safe alternatives for the family. We have set up stops in our home for our kids to trick or treat at, had a movie night, made pizza, and played board games. We had a great time; working to avoid other people and potential germs while our son was immune compromised.
Lucas being silly, enjoying Halloween celebrations in the hospital!
Creating Halloween memories in hospital settings
As I previously mentioned, the nursing staff were incredible when our son was hospitalized. Creating Halloween memories wasn’t difficult with the fun activities they had planned.
Instead of having children walk around the cancer unit, each nurse knocked on patients’ doors and passed out candy and fun treats. The kids still got to dress up and have fun without worrying about leaving their rooms.
In addition, they provided Halloween-themed crafts throughout the day, hosted bingo, and brought in child life specialists to play games and pass out prizes. They helped create Halloween memories for the children and their families in less-than-ideal situations, allowing them to feel somewhat normal for a night. I will forever be grateful to our children’s hospital staff for helping us celebrate and encourage our son to be excited.
No one wants to be separated from loved ones on a holiday. It’s emotionally difficult and reminds you of the struggles you’re facing. Creating Halloween memories or making any holiday special can help encourage families to focus on the fun experiences instead of the difficulties they face.
Lucas and Dad making the best of Halloween in the hospital.
Conclusion
If you are a cancer family or know a family struggling, I hope you’ll share these tips on creating Halloween memories with them. Thank you so much for being here. If this post has been helpful to you, please remember to share and pin it to your favorite board on Pinterest.
Until next time,
-M
This site may contain links to affiliate websites including Amazon. I may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you through Amazon or other potential affiliates and no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support.
