(13 Dec 2024)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pristina, Kosovo – 13 December 2024
1. Volunteers dressed as superheroes and characters coming out on balcony
2. Child watching volunteers from bed through window
3. Various of volunteers rappelling down side of hospital
4. Close of hospital window
5. Volunteers rappelling down the side of hospital
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Berat Kajtazi, volunteer dressed as captain America:
"You cannot describe (the feeling) with words. This is my 4th year that I am (taking part) in this activity. The first one was something special, so each year I can not wait to participate to do something about (for) these children. So you can not describe it with words. It is a special, special feeling.”
7. Various of children running towards and greeting volunteers dressed as superheroes aand characters
8. Various of volunteer dressed as superhero inside hospital and speaking to child
9. SOUNDBITE (Albanian) Blerta Sahiti, mother of a child at hospital:
”It is beautiful. It is a very good initiative. The children are happy.”
10. Child making a heart symbol with volunteer dressed as superwoman
11. Wide of volunteer dressed as superwoman with child
12. SOUNDBITE(Albanian) Rufadie Macastena Maxhuni, doctor and head of oncology department:
“It is a very good event for the children because they love these characters and dream about them everyday. Today, when I came to do the morning check I told the kids that there will be a surprise for them and that they would get a present from the superheroes that they like. That brings them such great joy.”
13. Various of children receiving presents in hospital
STORYLINE:
Alpine climbers dressed as superheroes and popular characters abseiled down the side of the Kosovo University Hospital on Friday to deliver gifts and greet children battling grave cancer illnesses in Kosovo.
As the year draws to a close, many families eagerly anticipate the joy and togetherness of New Year’s festivities.
Yet, for seven children, part of the 49 cancer patients admitted this year, battling leukemia and other types of cancer in a hospital ward in the capital Pristina, this season comes with uncertainty, fear, and hardship.
However, a remarkable initiative involving “superheroes” clad in unique costumes brought unexpected joy — not only to the children but also, perhaps even more deeply, to their parents.
Superheroes like Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Super Mario, Superwoman, Captain America, Bumble Bees and the Flash became a powerful symbol of renewal to the children on Friday.
The hospital setting, often associated with clinical sterility and emotional struggles, transformed into a place of wonder and laughter when volunteers dressed as beloved superheroes climbed down in ropes to take gifts to the children.
Their mission was simple: to bring joy, hope, and a moment of respite to the children and their families.
“It is a very good event for the children because they love these characters and dream about them everyday,” said Rufadie Macastena Maxhuni, a doctor on the ward.
“That brings them such great joy.”
The volunteers climbed down the side of the hospital using ropes and later visited the ward to deliver gifts.
For the children, the arrival of these heroes meant stepping into a world beyond IV drips, chemotherapy sessions, and endless tests.
Their faces lit up with delight as they received thoughtfully chosen gifts and shared hugs with their favourite characters.
AP video shot by Florent Bajrami
===========================================================
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9a17d3f56fdc490385166798cad7646a
Author: AP Archive
Go to Source
News post in December 18, 2024, 3:05 pm.
Visit Our Sponsor’s:
News Post In – News
