A father created a miniature costume of a popular Marvel superhero to help his newborn feel “brave” during his stay at a hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.
Eric Hart, 35, created an Iron Man costume for his baby boy Collier, has been in the hospital since his premature birth in July, according to TODAY.
“I came up with Iron Man because he’s been hooked up to all those machines and wires, and that’s similar to what Iron Man went through,” Hart told TODAY.
Hart was able to find a pattern online and scaled it down to fit little Collier. He made the mask out of soft foam, but only place it long enough to take a quick photo. He posted a video of his son on YouTube and it quickly went viral.
“It just resonates with them of being able to find a small moment of joy during months and months of physical and spiritual exhaustion,” he explained to TODAY.
Unfortunately, Hart doesn’t know when he will be able to take his son home. He is also aware little Collier will likely face other medical problems in the future due to his premature birth. However, Hart and his wife want to make sure they celebrate every holiday with their son.
“There are a lot of times when the baby is sedated, and you can’t interact, so this is something we could actually do and say, ‘We may not be normal right now but this is our new normal,’” he said. “Even though we’re in the hospital, we’re trying to do everything that a regular family would do and celebrate all the holidays.”
