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EDINBURG — Lucas Casares pressed his hand against the window with a smile across his face as Batman reached over to meet his hand from the other side of the window.

The 4-year-old wiggled around in excitement as Spider-Man, one of his favorite heroes, made his way down next to Batman.

In his Spider-Man jersey he waved at each hero with a smile.

This was a familiar sight Tuesday afternoon at Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley who surprised their patients with window washers dressed as superheroes.

The hospital system partnered with J&D Window Washers, a family business out of San Antonio, that frequently dressed as superheroes when they cleaned the windows at the Corpus Christi location.

Matt Wolthoff, president of Driscoll Children’s Hospital Rio Grande Valley, said he wanted to bring that same joy to the Valley to help make a child’s hospital stay feel a little more fun.

“Everything we do is about providing care for kids and making sure that when they’re here in our care that they don’t feel like they’re in the hospital, that hopefully they can have a good experience while they’re here,” Wolthoff said with a smile.

He added that for him seeing the smiles on each kid’s face makes every effort count.

“It’s not every day that you get to see Spider-Man scaling down the side of a hospital, so I think to see the kids enjoy that and their smiles, that’s what it’s all about,” Wolthoff said.

Ulises Acosta, one of the window washers and Spider-Men on Tuesday, shared similar sentiments adding that being able to dress up as a hero to surprise the kids is a humbling experience.

“It’s just a little reminder from us to them to make them smile and just kind of cheer them up again,” Acosta said, adding that it’s also an opportunity to heal his inner child as he swings around the ropes dressed as Spidey.

Among the heroes was the dynamic duo Batman and Robin as well as another Spider-Man (who said the multiverse wasn’t real?).

Despite the windy conditions of the day, each hero made their way down the side of the building with smiles on their faces as they interacted with the kids.

For Lucas’ mom, Laura Muñoz, seeing him happy and smiling after he’s spent nearly two weeks in the hospital for treatment meant everything to her.

“The Valley really needed a hospital like this that is geared towards the kids,” Muñoz, 38, said. “I know that they’re in an environment where it’s a hospital but they make it seem like an adventure with bringing things like this or having Child Life do things for them, play with them, so it makes his day a lot easier.

“It was sweet to see him so happy even though we are in a hospital.”

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