There was a spooky surprise in store for some young patients and their families at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, thanks to Spirit Halloween. The Halloween-themed retailer gave patients a scary good time in celebration of the holiday, Wednesday afternoon. The party aimed to bring some joy into what’s been a stressful moment for many of these families. “A way to bring some kind of norm right now. They’re dealing with a lot of stress, their child is very sick, and it feels like an extra distraction in order to take away pain, in order for kids to just be kids and enjoy just one day of fun and activities,” said Elizabeth Fitzgibbons, child life inpatient supervisor for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. Kids and their families brewed up some wicked potions and picked their own Halloween costumes. One child showed off his costume to 7News. “Darth Vader,” said the child. Even the hospital staff joined the fun — wearing Halloween costumes, helping children make spooky potions and putting smiles on their faces. And no need to call the Ghostbusters; they also made a special visit, providing a heartwarming and ghoulish fun time. Michael, who was having fun with his son Nathan, said it makes his family feel happy to take part in a fun activity while at the hospital. “And we’re able to come downstairs, grab a Halloween costume, make a magic potion,” said Michael. “Nathan, where are you going? Nathan made a magic potion, and they got to explode it out of the pot. He really enjoyed that. It’s nice to be able to do something together as a family even though we’re at the hospital.” This event is one of many planned by the Child Life and Family Experience team at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital to try to brighten up the patients and their families’ days, while receiving care in the hospital. “Events like this at the hospital are important, because it gives the family a sense of purpose. It gives us something to do today. We’re not just at the hospital all day long, we have something to look forward to,” said Michael. “This was marked on our calendar, and we asked the nurse to take the IV out, so we can come down here and move around freely and get a costume and spend some family time together, albeit at the hospital. It’s better than nothing.” This year marks the 10th anniversary of the event, and the hospital hopes to continue working with Spirit Halloween for years to come.