ROYAL OAK, Mich. (WXYZ) — For the first time since 2019, Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams is back at Beaumont Children's Hospital in Royal Oak. It was paused in 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The annual holiday tradition has only been around for a few years but it has quickly gained lots of support. Community members show up to the hospital every night in December, shining lights for the children as a show of support.
It was 2017 when Megan Mcclellan saw a news report of a town shining lights at the children's hospital to support the kids inside, an experience she knew all too well having spent weeks at Beaumont with her own children.
“You're frightened and you're heartbroken for your child and you’re trying to problem solve and figure everything out in the hospital with your child’s care,” Mcclellan said.
So, she talked to the Pediatric Advisory Council who were on board with her idea. Every night in December, people would show up outside the hospital with flashlights to wave goodnight. At first only a few dozen came, but quickly it grew to something much bigger.
“I knew right away that this was gonna work. I knew the kids upstairs would get something out of this. What I didn't realize was how much the community would embrace it,” Mcclellan said. “Now when I come out here and I see thousands of people every night, it’s just mind blowing.”
Groups from all over the area come out to show a sign of support to kids inside, including families like the Gotts.
In 2014, Katie Gott’s son Henry was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. They spent months at a time inside Beaumont Children's Hospital until 2015, when Henry passed away at the age of 3. Now, with her husband and son Winston, the Gott family returns to the hospital every December as a way to honor their son Henry and support other families in a familiar spot.
“I see those kids as what Henry would be like if he were here,” Gott said of the kids inside the hospital. "Give a kid a flashlight and they're happy as a clam. Give a kid a flashlight and thousands of people flashing back at them? It’s a really great feeling to know you brought that to them.”
“It kind of breaks up their day and reminds them they’re not alone, people do care,” Mcclellan said.
To take part in 'Moonbeams for Sweet Dreams,' come by Beaumont Children's Hospital in Royal Oak by 7:30 pm every night until Christmas Eve.
