Making superheroes of sick children

which paid for 96 Supertee packages for the hospital’s paediatric ward.

Volunteers spent hours on March 15 assembling the packages, along 109 others, which are bound for Blacktown Hospital’s paediatric ward.

Ettalong Diggers is the first organisation in the region to sponsor the project, with the Marvel-themed gowns set to make life a whole lot easier for both patients and staff.

“We are hoping that other organisations or the Coast will see what Ettalong Diggers has done and jump on board and support this fantastic project which puts smiles on faces,” a club spokesperson said.

“By wearing the gowns, sick kids feel like true superheroes.”

Children in hospital are often hooked up to drips for hours on end, while others have a permanent port, making it difficult to wear “normal” clothes.

Supertee opens under the arms for thermometer access and has evenly spaced press studs to bypass tubes and lines.

Supertee was invented by tradie dad Jason Sotiris who watched his own daughter battle cancer and now devotes his life to helping sick children in hospital.

Disney is allowing the charity to use some of its characters in its Supertee Marvel edition, designed to bring out the superhero in all the children who wear them.

Sotiris visited the Coast to attend the special packing event at the Ettalong Beach Diggers.

His dream is to have a Supertee available for every child who needs one.

“So far more than 13,000

Supertees have made their way into hospitals around Australia, giving already brave children additional courage –but our dream is to help bring out the Captain America and Captain Marvel in all children in hospital,” he said.

Last year, more than 8,300 Supertees were donated to sick children across 27 hospitals nationwide.

Terry Collins