Staying in the hospital for any period of time is rough, especially for children. While most kids are riding around on their bikes or meeting up with friends to enjoy summer activities, some kids face a different reality.
Life in the hospital, although medically necessary for certain children, can get mundane and depressing. There are only so many shows they can watch and so many books they can read before they start to get a little stir-crazy.
Jason Haney, a construction foreman, is all too familiar with this reality. When his daughter was only 3 years old, she had a stroke and required extended care from a local children's hospital.
Years later, Haney began working on a construction site right outside of the Memorial Children's Hospital in South Bend, IN. This is where he came up with a brilliant plan to help amuse the children staying right across the street.
Scroll through below to see how Haney used Where's Waldo? to bring some much-needed light into these sick kids' lives!
[H/T: Huffington Post]
Last winter, Jason Haney and his co-workers built a snowman outside of the construction site that would house the future expansion of Memorial Children's Hospital.
Kids staying at the hospital looked out their windows with absolute delight.
Haney caught word of this and began hiding a big blow up snowman around the construction site for little kids to spot when they had a chance to glance out the window.
But now? This fun game made way for an even better idea, involving the one and only Waldo from Where's Waldo?
Haney's co-worker approached him with a new plan.
"He came up to me, and was kind of joking around and said, 'Wouldn't it be funny if there was a Waldo up here?'" Haney explained to Huffington Post.
With help from his daughter, Haney cut up a piece of plywood in the shape of the famous striped-shirt book character Waldo.
In the springtime, Haney placed it within view of the pediatric patients at the hospital.
Unsurprisingly, the new game was a hit with the young patients.
Every day, children would eagerly look around the construction site across the street to see if they could be the first to spot the sneaky Waldo.
As soon as he's spotted, Haney is notified and moves the cutout to a brand new hiding spot.
"He's eight-feet tall and a pain in the butt to move around sometimes," Haney admitted to Huffington Post.
Despite the extra work, Haney doesn't seem to mind the effort.
"It's worth it for the kids," explained Haney.
Haney started a Facebook page for kids and their families to post pictures of the sneaky cutout once he's been spotted.
The page is flooded with comments from people all over the world that have caught word of this incredible story.
Moving a plywood cutout of Waldo around a construction site may not seem like a big deal for some, but for the pediatric patients, it means the world.
What do you think of Haney's amazing efforts for the kids staying at Memorial Children's Hospital?
Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to SHARE with anyone who could use a heartwarming story like this to brighten their day!
