Have you ever had days where you felt you had super powers, or felt you needed them? One woman in Seattle is making that a reality for over 1,700 kids with illnesses and disabilities in 50 states and 14 countries, with a new workshop opening to help out more kids:
Gabby has epilepsy and is completely dependent: She cannot talk, walk or eat on her own. But she is a tiny superhero — her superpowers include perseverance, courage and strength — and she has the cape to prove it. A purple number, with a blue letter “G” hand-sewn on by Robyn Rosenberger.
Rosenberger is the powerhouse behind TinySuperheroes, which makes capes as a form of empowerment. “Our mission is to empower these kids to feel as extraordinary as we see they are,” Rosenberger explained.
On the surface this may seem a little fluffy, but it exemplifies the power of play, particularly imaginary play and pretending. First, it gives the kids a chance to take a break from their illness and maybe laugh a little, which is good for everyone. Second, the crazy thing is researchers are finding that by pretending to be big, strong, dominant, and super-hero-esque, it can train your body to actually be more strong, dominant, and super-hero-esque. Even healthy kids can feel pretty powerless, so by imagining what it feels like to be strong and healthy it can help their minds and bodies map out what that might look and feel like and maybe even help along the road the recovery.
So by giving these kids superhero capes, these volunteers are in fact giving these kids some pretty strong medicine.
Now I want a cape, or at least a magic wand.
If you are interested in helping out, visit the Tiny Superheroes site.
Related articles
- Tiny superheroes combat big challenges with capes made by Seattle mom (seattletimes.com)
- Seattle mom turns kids into tiny superheroes (q13fox.com)
- Robyn Rosenberger Makes Superhero Dreams Come True for Sick Children (people.com)
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