A heroic couple who dress up as Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen to visit sick children in hospitals around the world have vowed to keep spreading hope to young kids during coronavirus lockdowns.
Ricky Mena, 36, from Pittsburg, California, has been dressing up as the Marvel hero to visit hospitalized children since 2014, and his wife Kendall, 25, started joining him in 2018, and between the two of them they have brought joy to more than 16,000 young patients.
But in recent weeks, the couple have seen all of their planned visits being canceled or postponed as hospitals have gone into lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic – forcing the superhero couple to come up with different options – including video chats with the children.
Caring: A couple from California who dress up as Spider-Man and Spider-Gwen to visit sick kids in hospital have revealed how they’re bringing joy to children amid coronavirus lockdowns
Heroic: Ricky Mena, 36, first came up with the idea in June 2014, when he was struggling financially and living on a friend’s couch. His wife Kendall joined his visits in 2018
Important: After deciding to found his charity Heart of a Hero, Ricky sold his car and used the money to buy a $1,400 Spider-Man suit, as well as some toys for children
Pushing ahead: The couple say that all of their upcoming visits have been canceled because of COVID-19 fears, so they are now offering video calls instead
Ricky, who is the CEO of Heart of a Hero, set up the company nearly six years ago – when he was struggling financially and sleeping on a friend’s couch temporarily while trying to get back on his feet.
One night, he had a dream about his deceased grandmother, Alice Brooks, who appeared to him and played a video of Spider-Man visiting children in the hospital and she told him that’s what he should be doing.
Once he woke up, he decided to do just that. With only $300 to his name, he sold his car and used the money to buy a $1,400 Spider-Man suit, which arrived in October of that year, and a small pile of toys.
At first, Ricky was turned down by hospitals, so he decided to work with special needs and autistic children locally at schools.
Word travelled fast about his good deeds and the positive impact he had on these children, so soon enough he was being asked to visit children at hospitals. He set up his business Heart of a Hero and many people began fundraising for the organization.
In January 2018, he met his now wife, Kendall, 25, who he married just four months into their relationship. She was fascinated by his idea and wanted to join him as ‘Spider-Gwen’.
He and his wife have since visited over 16,000 children around the globe, as well as 22 US states; California, Colorado, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Arizona, Indiana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and West Virginia.
The children are either terminally ill, homeless, bullied or disabled.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus, Ricky admits that his work has been massively affected as hospitals are no longer allowing special guests to visit the children.
However, he and his wife are determined to keep their mission going and putting a smile on each of the children’s faces despite the coronavirus pandemic, by offering video chats to the kids they would normally see in person.
‘The decision to dress as Spider-Man came to me in a dream where my deceased grandmother came to me, showed me a movie of Spider-Man visiting children in the hospital, and told me it was me and that’s what I should do,’ Ricky said.
Brightening their days: ‘Since 2014 we’ve seen over 16,000 kids all over the United States and have been as far as London, UK,’ Ricky revealed
Working hard: ‘We offer the children tons of toys specific to their likes, joke, laugh, take pictures, and make sure they know they’ve made a friend for life and aren’t alone,’ he added
Message: Ricky says that he came up with the idea for Heart of a Hero after dreaming that his late grandmother, Alice Brooks, played him a video of Spider-Man visiting hospitals
‘I actually followed through with it because I felt it was a call to do something greater. A higher calling that was bigger than myself. I saw a world filled with hurting children and thought I’d try my hand at helping as best I could.
‘With only $300 to my name and feeling like this was more than a dream, I sold my car and used that money to buy a much less expensive car to get around in, the first Spider-Man suit, and a small pile of toys.
‘It took me a little over two months to get the custom-fitted suit. When I got it, every hospital said no, so I began working with special needs and autistic children locally, at schools, at spectrum centers, and at home.
‘Word traveled fast and before I knew it, I was being asked to visit children in hospitals. I started the official non-profit known as ‘Heart of a Hero’ to house it all because people began sending me money to reach more children.
‘I was doing this with the help of a few friends for about four years until I met my wife and she began suiting up with me in 2018.
‘Since 2014 we’ve seen over 16,000 kids all over the United States and have been as far as London, UK.
‘Some are in hospitals, private homes, in hospice care, and others are in schools, shelters, day cares, or foster homes, but these children come from all different backgrounds, cultural and religious beliefs.
‘I’ve seen children from the heart of poverty-stricken areas, and I’ve seen children of wealthy mothers and fathers.
‘The contrast and differences between who we see changes daily; for example, one day I was surrounded by the Latin culture at Miami children in Florida and the next I was standing in a London hospital greeting children who are battling cancer with their mother wearing a full Burka.
‘Every child is unique and every situation different but our mission to leave love on the table stays the same.
‘There really are no “typical” days as Spider-Man. This work keeps you on your toes and you must be flexible, but we routinely make contact with children and introduce ourselves with friendly conversation.
Helping hand: He says that his grandmother told him in the dream that visiting kids in hospital is what he should be doing
New normal: Ricky says that with the current climate regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) he has had to limit his visits in the form of video chats
Determined: He is also sending care packages to children whose parents are happy to receive them, in the hopes of still bringing some joy to their lives
Devastating: Ricky has also attended children’s funerals, and has held patients’ hands as they have passed away
‘We offer the children tons of toys specific to their likes, joke, laugh, take pictures, and make sure they know they’ve made a friend for life and aren’t alone.
‘I’ve read to children, of course I have played games before, and I’ve also held children as they passed away to not only comfort them, but their parents as well.
‘The call to be Spider-Man means to bring joy, peace, and inspiration, but what I must do to answer that call changes with every single visit.’
Ricky says that his job as Spider-Man for these children means constantly traveling around the globe, but with the current climate regarding coronavirus (COVID-19) he has had to limit his visits in the form of video chat, but insists that he must keep his mission going.
‘This is a full-time job. After the first three and a half years, I’ve had to limit myself to around forty hours a week because this work became the only part of my life and that wasn’t good for my mental state,’ he said.
‘In a seven-day-week these days, we spend about three to four days in the suit making the visits happen.
‘The other days of the week we are planning the visits, traveling to and from visit locations, and doing tons of admin work like setting up fundraisers, updating our social media daily, calling hospitals and facilities we haven’t visited to possibly visit children there, answering emails.
‘The coronavirus has affected us greatly because all of the hospitals and all other facilities medically caring for children have momentarily halted all special visitors from being able to visit.
‘Nearly everything this month has been rescheduled or postponed, but we are determined to keep our mission going and have been offering video chats to children we would normally see in person.
‘Needless-to-say, we’ve been busy with video chats and the kids love it. We also send out care packages filled with toys if parents permit.
Special touch: ‘Kendall carries the same mission and role as Spider-Man does and it’s been amazing watching her reach kids on a different level as a female superhero,’ Ricky said
Looking ahead: The couple hopes to expand Heart of a Hero so that the charity can reach more children around the world
Family life: Ricky and Kendall don’t have their own children, but say that they would love to start a family one day
‘Our suits already cover one hundred per cent of our bodies and face, but we’ve taken extra protective measures by wearing medical masks under our Spidey masks.
‘To us, it’s more about ensuring the safety of the children we visit rather than ourselves and the best way to do that is to protect ourselves as well by taking precautions (and even extra precautions) to disinfect our suits, wash our hands, sometimes keep distance, and even reschedule visits if possible.
‘My wife’s role as Spider-Gwen was introduced shortly after we were married about a year ago. After witnessing what I was doing, she asked to be a part of it and after starting by helping hand out toys and taking pictures behind the camera, it turned into her actually suiting up as Spider-Gwen once she was ready.
‘She carries the same mission and role as Spider-Man does and it’s been amazing watching her reach children on a different level as a female superhero than I can. It’s empowering for everyone, but especially the little girls we meet.
‘Children react in different ways but 99 per cent of the time, it’s excitement. Sometimes children cry and hug us almost as if they’ve waited so long to see us.
‘The future goal is to expand Heart of a Hero. Have more heroes in more places, but one big goal I have is to be able to help pay off debts these parents incur while attempting to save their children’s lives.
‘My wife and I have no children of our own, but we hope to in the future once we build a better financial stability around our lifestyle of giving.
‘Giving back takes an important role in our society and always has. There will always be those in need and it’s our duty as well-bodied individuals to assist who we can.
‘It doesn’t always have to be to the extremes my wife and I have taken it, but it’s good to remember, a little goes a long way.
‘I may not be wealthy and sometimes we struggle financially, but through giving, my heart is so full, and I am beyond rich in ways that actually matter; even in this world.’