SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — The force was with the pediatric patients of Lehigh Valley Health Network on Friday.
"Star Wars" characters made the rounds in a visit a day ahead of May 4, or May-the-Fourth as in "May the force be with you" — a day to celebrate all things "Star Wars."
"The Star Wars characters came and saw me and bought me a gift,” exclaimed 14 -year-old Jadeyn Learn.
She’s a pediatric patient at Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, where the famous group made their rounds Friday.
"Our kids need it. They're here in the hospital and they're sick, and sometimes they get really sad news. And it's not just for the kids, but it's also for the families. I think it just brings so much joy."LVHN Inpatient Child Life Specialist Danna Ramirez Gomez
Jadeyn’s mom, Jennifer Counterman, said they were from Cresco, Pa., but had to stay in the hospital because her daughter is suffering with an illness.
She watched as her daughter’s visitors made their way through the hospital room.
“It brings their spirits up,” Counterman said. “They're in the hospital and they really can't leave the floor. And yes, their parents are visiting, but not everybody can, so it makes them smile."
The characters from a galaxy far, far, away included Chewbacca, Princess Leia, an Ewok and R2D2.
They were portrayed by the local Star Wars fan groups Kyber Base and Garrison Carida, in partnership with Sodexo Food Services, to celebrate May the Fourth a day early at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest.
"Our kids need it,” LVHN Inpatient Child Life Specialist Danna Ramirez Gomez said.
“They're here in the hospital and they're sick and sometimes they get really sad news. And it's not just for the kids, but it's also for the families. I think it just brings so much joy."
'Families are just so grateful'
The Child Life department works to curate such special events to help make a hospital stay a little less scary for children.
"Our goal in Child Life is also to normalize the environment as much as we can for our kids, to decrease as much anxiety and stress and fear that, you know, they have," Ramirez Gomez said.
"So visits like this just normalize the environment and help them kind of cope while they're here in the hospital.
"Families are just so grateful. Even some families, they get teary-eyed when they see our visitors because of their kids’ reactions.
"So it's truly a joy, although it's a lot of work. We're so happy to do it, because it's so rewarding to see our kids smile.”
"We just want to bring some joy out into the world because the world is a crazy place."Kim Watson with Kyber Base and Garrison Carida and the group the 501st and Rebel Legion
Two groups of the fan favorite Star Wars characters fanned out throughout the hospital for the visit.
Ethan Yost, 11, had a smile from ear-to-ear when they stopped in his room.
"He likes all characters, so I think he really enjoyed it,” said his mom, Miranda Bainbridge, of Pine Grove, Schuylkill County.
Each child got a "Star Wars"-themed gift from one of the heroes.
"They are going through so much already, that we just, if we can bring them a little bit of happiness, a smile, get their mind off of what's going on in their lives — a little pretend for the day,” Kim Watson said.
Watson was traveling with Kyber Base and Garrison Carida and called the group the 501st and Rebel Legion. It’s an international volunteer "Star Wars" costuming organization in eastern Pennsylvania.
"We just want to bring some joy out into the world because the world is a crazy place,” Watson said.
