Texas man fundraising to buy Halloween costumes for pediatric cancer patients
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Mueller's home at Halloween (image: Amy Mueller)
A Houston father-of-two has started a fundraising campaign to buy Halloween costumes for pediatric cancer patients at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Gage Mueller started a GoFundMe page with a $5,000 goal earlier this month and has already raised over $6,200. Working with local business Halloween Express— who reached out to their distributor and acquired a discount— Mueller has already ordered 100 costumes for the kids.
On October 29, at 10:00 am, he’ll set up a costume shop at the hospital, opening it for the patients and their siblings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Unfortunately, siblings don’t get the chance to be kids themselves either because their brother or sister is battling a horrible disease,” Mueller, 40, told FoxNews.com. “It’s about what we can do to bring smiles to everyone’s faces and let them be kids for however long we can.”
Mueller is a self-proclaimed Halloween enthusiast, he said, and decorates his home elaborately every year, encouraging neighbors— many of whom work for MD Anderson— to do the same. Originally, he hoped to arrange safe trick or treating for pediatric cancer patients, but health and privacy concerns got in the way.
Instead, he’s joining with the hospital’s annual Fall Festival to set up the costume shop.
“A lot of people donate money to the hospital and it’s just money— you don’t really know where that goes,” Mueller, who works at a computer software company, said. “I wanted to make a difference with the kids and families and siblings.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Mueller’s goal is to collect all funds by Oct. 25.
Click to visit the MD Anderson Costume Campaign GoFundMe page.