Feeling like a Kid First and Patient Second

Program Impact

·Aug 19th, 2026

At Bethany Children’s Health Center, the hallways have turned into something new — a path to happiness.

What sparked this change? A little red wagon.

Embracing Childhood Joy Even at the Hospital

Challenges can feel non-stop for hospitalized kids, but simple moments of happiness can boost their morale.

Stacey Howard, a Certified Special Education Teacher at Bethany Children’s Health Center, uses the Starlight Hero Wagon to do just that. She’s often seen how kids’ moods can change when they experience a sense of normalcy.

“Every time one of our patients gets into a Starlight Hero Wagon, we watch their eyes light up as they wave to their peers and staff members in the hallway.”
- Stacey Howard, Certified Special Education Teacher

Axel_child life programs in hospitals — Axel smiles brightly going for a joyride in the hero wagon.

Normalization & Play: Essential Parts of Care

When Stacey and her coworkers added wagon rides to their class routine, the kids quickly showed how much they enjoyed it.

"The kids made it clear that they wanted it to be a regular occurrence,” she shares.

For pediatric patients, medical challenges affect every hour of their day. Still, the wagon offers something medicine can’t prescribe: a moment of pure happiness.

This is true for patients like three-year-old Axel, whose smile during a wagon ride with Stacey says it all.

“I believe every child deserves a ride in the Starlight Hero Wagon.. It gives our kids a chance to take a break from the challenges of their medical complexities and, for a moment, simply be a kid.”
- Stacey Howard, Certified Special Education Teacher

Your support helps give more kids moments of happiness across the country in over 800 medical facilities – in cities, rural areas and everywhere in between.

Every child deserves to feel like a kid first and patient second.