Although I definitely can’t remember spending some of my earliest days in an oxygen tent, it was a period that my mother will never forget.
While inhaling some of my poop while I was in the womb had some serious complications, doctors’ initial suspicions that I had meningitis certainly didn’t do much to put her mind at ease.
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However, the support of my grandma and the encouraging words of some supportive nurses did a lot to help her weather the storm until the day came when I was in the clear.
Unfortunately, my mom is far from the only person who has had to sit by while their child is in serious condition and it becomes particularly hard to deal with on holidays that are normally filled with fun. Fortunately, one nurse in Georgia has found her own beautiful way to bring some levity to a dark time for some budding families.
Each Halloween, patients in the NICU at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta can be found sporting some adorable Halloween costumes.
And should visitors look at them for long enough, they may notice that each one is crocheted by hand.
For the past four years, this has been the passion project of Nurse Tara Fankhauser.
As WPXI reported , she spends months knitting costumes for the big day, with each one taking anywhere from two hours to a full day.
Here we see one newborn dressed as Plankton from Spongebob Squarepants .
Fankhauser is a mom of three, but her efforts also show tremendous compassion for the babies under her care.
While part of her inspiration comes from Pinterest, she also tailors these costumes around each baby’s unique personality.
For instance, the hospital described Kory here as a “peanut of a fighter,” so Fankhauser made a Dumbo costume.
Brooklyn, however, is known as a particularly friendly baby.
So it only made sense for the little one to wear a costume inspired by Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Only this one is even less spooky than poor, misunderstood Casper.
As for this getup modeled after Rocky Balboa’s iconic boxing gear, that came from the nickname little Kobe’s father gave him, “Champ.”
Fankhauser starts making these costumes in the spring and it’s not unusual for her to keep up production right until she’s knocking on the door of Halloween itself.
As a hospital representative said in a statement, “What started out as a hobby has quickly become a hospital tradition that brings joy to our families and staff.”
h/t: WPXI
