Super costumes making a big difference to little patients during hospital stays

Jason Sotiris knows firsthand what it’s like to be at the bedside of a seriously ill child and feel helpless to make them better.

But he also knows the power of superheroes can do wonders to lift their spirits, give families and carers a boost and how it can bring a community together.

Jason is now the CEO of national charity Supertees, which delivers special care packages to children in hospital featuring a unique hospital gown – “a medical garment disguised as a fun costume”, as he describes it.

Just over a decade ago, Jason was a tradie and a doting dad.

But not long after his daughter Angela turned one, she was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Scans found tumours throughout Angela’s tiny body, and she was given a 20 per cent chance of beating it. It took three long years, but that little toddler is now a fit and healthy 12-year-old.

“At the time, I was a construction worker; what was I going to do to help her?” he said.

“I’m sure we all agree, the hospital gown has become a symbol of illness, and this is what we give people we love in the hospital? They already feel sick and now they look sick.

“During that time in hospital, I noticed how hard it was to change her and keep her clean and hygienic, which can make a massive difference for kids with no immune system, but I found it very difficult to keep her clothed and clean.

“One frustrating night when she received chemo, she threw up and we tried to change her. I asked the nurse, out of frustration, why haven’t we come up with something to make it easier for us to change our kids? That’s where it started.

“Our kids deserve better so we have reinvented the hospital gown, but we turned it into a fun costume and also made it more practical.”

It took “two years of failing, trying absolutely everything” before Jason was able to deliver the new superhero Supertee. The garments for children aged one to 13 can’t be bought – they’re “earned” and handed out by nurses and doctors – and Jason’s goal is to have one available for every time a child needs it.

“It was quite a journey, but we cracked it. We figured it out. We realised that a more practical garment with small, little plastic press studs and the way that it’s configured can make it a lot easier for nurses and for parents to change children,” he said.

“Children see themselves as we see them – brave, courageous, amazing, worthy and incredibly powerful for everything they must face, and we just simply provide the costume that they deserve.”

Supertee was only launched in 2018, with an initial run of barely 1000 shirts to hand out, but this year it will help outfit 16,000 kids in 91 hospitals across the country – all for free.

Enter organisations like Wests Illawarra, which donated $20,000 to Supertee. This week, more than 50 staff and members gathered at the Unanderra club to pack 400 Supertee gift boxes to be delivered to Wollongong Hospital’s Children’s Ward.

“These clubs bring the community together. Come here on any night and you’ll see someone celebrate a birthday or an anniversary or some special event. It could be a Christmas party,” Jason said.

“So this is the community’s living room, or the community’s gathering place, and they provide us the funds to make this all happen.

“I don’t see them as volunteers. I see them as the elves and this is Santa’s workshop, because we are preparing these for the most important time of the year. No family wants to be separated over the holidays, but sadly, that’s the reality, that’s a fact of life.

“What we’re witnessing here today is the power of community, when you bring the opinions and expertise of people who care about the same thing, wanting to make a difference for our kids in hospital.”

Wests Illawarra Chief Financial Officer Renata Garnero first came across Jason and his Supertee story on LinkedIn.

“I read the story of his daughter and what he went through and how he created the charity, and it just tugged at my heart strings,” she said.

“I saw these awesome packing events that other organisations were getting involved in so we reached out to see how we could get involved.

“We donated $20,000 to Supertee which basically purchased the shirts that we’ve got here today and then we’ve got 50 of our staff and members of the club who are volunteering their time to pack these up.”

Renata said it was the first time the club had held the packing event and the response from club members was so overwhelming that she hoped to make it an annual event.

“Wests is all about giving back to our community, so this was just an awesome way for us to get staff and members involved.

“We’re hoping to provide a lot more opportunities like this for our staff and members to be able to donate their time.”

As for Angela, Jason says she believes the Supertee is all hers, and he’s just minding it for her.

“I owe her every day. There’s nothing I could say or do to repay the favour she’s bestowed on me. It will be a privilege to see her take this over one day.”

She’s even helped to create Supertee’s first adolescent design.

“We’ve had children that have outgrown their Supertee, but they still have conditions that are with them for life and they need to have something they can wear in hospital.

“They don’t want to wear anything except for a Supertee, so we’ve got the designs down. We just don’t have the funds.”

Individuals, businesses and organisations can support Supertee in a variety of ways, from fundraising to volunteering. For more information visit the website or Facebook.