This Doctor Dresses His Young Patients In Superhero Costumes Before Surgery

September 22, 2025

For many children, the idea of surgery is scary. But one doctor in Brazil has found a heartwarming way to turn fear into courage — by letting his young patients enter the operating room dressed as superheroes.

@otorrino.leandro

Dr. Leandro B. Guimarães, an ear, nose, and throat specialist, began this practice after a difficult moment with a little girl named Allana. Just two years old, she cried uncontrollably as he carried her toward the operating room. That day, he made himself a promise: no child would ever go into surgery in tears again.

His solution? Superhero costumes.

@otorrino.leandro

“I let the child choose which one they want to wear,” Guimarães explained. “I tell them we will go in ‘flying’ or running and that we are going to clear their nose and ears. I enter the surgical room when they are ready and engaged in the game.”

He even encourages parents to join if a child is still nervous. The goal is always the same — to make the experience calmer, lighter, and a little bit magical.

The doctor records the joyful entrances, sometimes running alongside kids dressed as Batman, Spider-Man, or Wonder Woman, and shares the videos with parents. “They love it because they can show their children how brave they were!” he said.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Leandro Brandão Guimarães (@otorrino.leandro)

By turning anxious steps into superhero strides, Dr. Guimarães shows that medicine is about more than procedures — it’s about humanity.

His thoughtful gesture not only comforts his patients but also reminds families that kindness and imagination can be just as healing as medicine itself.