Anthony Murphy, 15, enjoyed a visit form the Humble Heroes at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital on Friday morning. (Photo provided by St. Luke’s University Health Network)

Heroes’ Prior Visit Spurs St. Luke’s Photographer to Join and Help Start Pennsylvania Chapter

Children hospitalized in late August and early September often miss out on back-to-school events and Labor Day parades and picnics. Fortunately, patients at St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in Bethlehem participated in something even better: a visit from their favorite superheroes.

Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Captain America, Spiderman, Black Panther, Supergirl, Green Lantern, Deadpool, Black Panther and Scarlet Witch were there, bringing smiles to the children and their families. They were joined by cartoon TV hero, Raven, a character from Teen Titans, portrayed by St. Luke’s photographer Anita Sergent.

The heroes are volunteer members of Humble Heroes of FDNY, a nonprofit group of firefighters, police officers, teachers and others. The Fire Department of New York City is its official sponsor. Disguised as famous heroes, they visit local hospitals and grief centers, “bringing joy to kids fighting life’s injustices.” Their mantra is, “Anyone can be someone’s hero.”

Anthony Murphy, 15, of Norton Township, NJ, said he was thrilled to have a visit from some of his favorites, including Deadpool, having seen his most recent movie twice. The North Warren Regional High School sophomore is such a fan that superheroes are the theme of his bedroom’s décor.

Murphy said he was going 25-30 miles an hour on an ebike when his back wheel locked, and he was thrown off. A buddy he was riding with him called 911. Eventually, an MedEvac helicopter transported him to St. Luke’s Children’s hospital, where he received an operation to relieve swelling and bleeding in his brain.

“Seeing the superheroes was amazing,” he said. “It made my day.” His mother Amanda Corter, added, “It made his life.”

Gretchen Duffy, St. Luke’s child life services coordinator, said St. Luke’s often provides opportunities to normalize the environment and remind children and teens that even though they’re in the hospital they still get to have fun while they’re here.

“When kids are in the hospital they can be missing out on things like back-to-school celebrations and other normal, fun childhood activities,” she said. “Bringing in special events is a really great way to do something positive and fun for the kids while they’re here. There’s great therapeutic value for kids and their families.”

Humble Heroes visited St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital in January. Because they knew the heroes were in the building, some kids were so excited that they waited to go home until after meeting their favorite superhero.

“They are the celebrities of childhood to these kids,” Duffy said. “They read about them, watch them on TV or see them in movies, and they represent superhuman creatures that are otherworldly. The volunteers really get into character. Spiderman comes in, crawling across the floor, and Batman has his hands perched on his hips. The costumes are so realistic and elaborate that the kids feel like they’re meeting their favorite superheroes. It’s really, really special.”

Photographer Anita Sergent of Emmaus shot photos of the heroes when they visited in January. As a photographer at St. Luke’s, she’s shot a lot of events, including pediatric visits with therapy dogs. She was so impressed by the impact the heroes’ visit had on the children she asked to join their group.

“Their visit was the most I’ve seen the children’s faces light up – not only the kids, but the parents and the staff too,” she said. Sergent, who, along with her husband, Jeff, is interested in cosplay. A word formed from “costume” and “play,” cosplay is a performance art where people dress up as characters from fictional works and act in character.

Sergent, who sews and makes her own costumes, was impressed by the quality of the Humble Heroes’ costumes and performances.

“I’m super nerdy,” she said. “It was great to find a group that shares my hobby. I thought they were doing such a positive thing and significantly impacting the kids. So, I called them afterward and said please, please, please let me join.”

Beyond being a member, Sergent helped Kenny Restrepo of Emmaus, who portrays Batman, form a Pennsylvania Chapter. Sergent and the group have since appeared at parades and visited hospitals, schools and events for special needs children.

Sergent makes her own costumes, including Raven, her current character. Because the number of male superheroes far outnumber female ones, she is happy to portray a positive role model for girls.

“Little girls are so excited to have a woman hero to look up to,” she said. “When they want to have their picture taken with me, rather than Batman, that really makes my day.”

About St. Luke’s

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 20,000 employees providing services at 15 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites.  With annual net revenue of $3.4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital.

Dedicated to advancing medical education, St. Luke’s is the preeminent teaching hospital in central-eastern Pennsylvania.  In partnership with Temple University, the Network established the Lehigh Valley’s first and only four-year medical school campus.  It also operates the nation’s oldest School of Nursing, established in 1884, and 52 fully accredited graduate medical educational programs with more than 500 residents and fellows. In 2022, St. Luke’s, a member of the Children’s Hospital Association, opened the Lehigh Valley’s first and only free-standing facility dedicated entirely to kids.

SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five-star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction.  It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital.  The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Fortune/PINC AI 10 years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY.  In 2021, St. Luke’s was identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally.  Utilizing the Epic electronic medical record (EMR) system for both inpatient and outpatient services, the Network is a multi-year recipient of the Most Wired award recognizing the breadth of the SLUHN’s information technology applications such as telehealth, online scheduling and online pricing information.  The Network is also recognized as one of the state’s lowest-cost providers.

 

Information provided to TVL by:
Sam Kennedy