Hundreds of former preemies spend Halloween at accessible Austin park

For hundreds of families in Austin, the holiday season begins with a specific set of requirements: a theme park where the ferris wheel and carousels accommodate limited mobility, and a schedule that allows for medical needs. On Halloween, University Health brought former neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) patients and their families to Morgan’s Wonderland for the organization’s annual Fall Fest.

The attendance reflects the scale of the health center’s long-term support network. The children who participated in the event had all been served by one of three specific programs at University Health. These include the PREMIEre program for premature infants, the NICU Graduate Program which offers medical and nutritional support during the first two years of life, and the Comprehensive Care Clinic that extends that support through the first five years.

Dr. Glen Medellin, a palliative pediatrician at University Health, treated many of the children attending the gathering. He described the event as a way to observe patient progress outside the clinical setting. “It’s beautiful to see these children out here, not sick and with their families,” Medellin said. “It makes them feel normal.”

Morgan’s Wonderland was built specifically for accessibility, meaning attractions like the WingZ of Wonder and various slides are designed for children with a variety of physical limitations. The Fall Fest provided these families with an opportunity to participate in trick-or-treating and ride the attractions together, marking a milestone for the children who have navigated complex early medical histories.