When thinking of Halloween, one usually thinks of candy, cookies and other sweet treats. However, children with diabetes and other endocrine disorders may not have the opportunity to enjoy these. The Endocrine & Diabetes Center at MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach and the Helpful Honda team made sure that these children didn’t miss out on any of the Halloween fun with a special Fall Festival.
The Fall Festival encourages and supports patients with diabetes and their families by giving them a “candy-free” event with other exciting goodies and activities.
“The Fall Festival allows our patients to have a fun Halloween experience, despite their illnesses,” says Karen Kennedy, RN, certified diabetes educator, Endocrine & Diabetes Center,
Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital. “Not only does it teach our kids how to manage their conditions for the upcoming holidays, but it encourages our families to create partnerships with others that are experiencing the same struggles.”
The Helpful Honda team attended and hosted a booth with hundreds of Halloween baskets full of toys and other fun prizes. The team also joined in on the holiday fun and helped patients create their own Halloween crafts with colorful markers, paint and stickers.
With the help from the care team at the Endocrine & Diabetes Center, our patients and families learn to accept and cope with their diagnoses, learn to be patient with a new lifestyle and strengthen themselves with education of the daily balance of insulin, exercise, growth and healthy eating habits. The Fall Festival celebrates our patients and their family’s successes and empowers them with partnerships between other families that are living the same struggles.
The Miller Children’s & Women’s Endocrine & Diabetes Center offers comprehensive programs in endocrinology, growth disorders and diabetes. The team treats and manages childhood conditions such as type 1 and type 2 diabetes and other defects of the endocrine system, including adrenal, thyroid and pituitary glands.
