Clint Monico’s team of caregivers at the Munroe-Meyer Institute is a little like the Avengers.
The 6-year-old may work with each superhero on the care team individually, but they all come together as a team, said his father, Nathan Monico.
It was fitting, then, that Clint got to dress as his favorite superhero — The Hulk — in a green T-shirt complete with drawn-on abs for his appointment at MMI.
The institute hosted Superhero Day on Friday, inviting patients and staff to dress the part. The day got its start in the early 1990s, when Marvel employees dubbed April 28 a day to celebrate everyone’s favorite superheroes.
At MMI, it was a way to celebrate and honor the real heroes who protect and help daily, said Melonie Welsh, director of community engagement.
“No matter if they wear masks, capes, scrubs or uniforms, everyone’s role models could get a well-deserved shoutout for the hard work they do,” Welsh said.
Across the institute, children were able to decorate — and later don — their own capes and masks. By early afternoon, about 30 kids had decorated masks in the MMI lobby.
Clint strolled out of his appointment arm-in-arm with an inflatable Hulk toy. He joined Dad, who briefly sported a black mask around his eyes, and younger sister Myla, who wore a matching pink mask and cape.
The superhero theme speaks to what kids like, Monico said. Dressing up as your favorite superhero is “what being a child is all about,” he added.