BILLINGS— A program at Billings Clinic is giving adaptive Halloween costumes to children with disabilities for free for the third year in a row.
The costumes in the Adaptive Halloween Costume Library include designs that accommodate wheelchairs, feeding tubes, sensory issues and mobility issues.
Watch to see how one family is using the program:
The costumes go to children such as 3-year-old Anakin Milligan, who was diagnosed with Menkes disease at four months old.
The disease affects his body’s ability to absorb and use copper, which has left Anakin to rely on a wheelchair.
“It affects pretty much every single organ in his body,” said Anakin’s mother, Melissa Milligan.
Anakin is the only child in Montana and surrounding states, such as Wyoming, Washington and Idaho with the disorder.
According to Melissa, costumes fit for Anakin are difficult to find and expensive.
“It's definitely tough raising a complex care kid, and I know that there's some families that just wouldn't be able to afford (adaptive costumes) because these costumes are twice or three times as much as a regular Halloween costume,” she said.
“I wish I could take him to a store and go pick out a costume, but he can't,” she added.
The family secured a Buzz Lightyear costume from the program for free, which Melissa plans to dress Anakin in when she takes him trunk-or-treating this month, so he can show off the outfit.
“He loves for people to come up to him and interact with him. He just he loves it. He's definitely a people person,” said Melissa.
The hospital started the costume library in 2022 when they received the Montana American Academy of Pediatrics Grant.
“I think we as pediatricians get to see these kids that come in every day. And every day is a little more difficult than it would be for a regular kid. They have a lot more struggles,” said Anakin’s pediatrician at Billings Clinic, Katy Lysinger, who helped start the program.
The library still has over a dozen costumes available for families to access.
Costumes include many Disney characters, such as Princess Jasmine, Black Panther and Elsa.
“We're trying to get the word out, because we have lots of costumes. And if kids just want to come down and take a look at what we have, we'd love to have them be able to use these costumes,” said Lysinger.
To inquire about the costumes, people can call a representative with Billings Clinic Pediatrics at 406-238-2696.
