Reverse trick-or-treat brings a little hocus pocus to Golisano Children’s at UK
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 3, 2025) — Ask any adult what the biggest day of the year is. They might say Super Bowl Sunday or the NCAA championship game with the Cats favored to win.
Ask a kid the same question. Chances are, they’ll say it’s Halloween.
Months of costume planning. Conferring with friends on the optimal route through the neighborhood. Repeated trips to the houses that give out full-size candy bars.
But for the patients admitted to Golisano Children’s at UK (formerly Kentucky Children’s Hospital) those plans are thwarted. So instead, the hospital staff brings trick-or-treating to them.
Now in its eighth year, Reverse Trick-or-Treat is a beloved Halloween tradition. Instead of the kids going door-to-door, staff from all over UK HealthCare, as well as donors and community partners make the rounds. Patients sit by their doors, treat bags at the ready, as a parade of adults in elaborate costumes stroll by.
Ninja turtles, princesses and K-Pop Demon Hunters are all too happy to collect treats from their doctors, nurses and other members of their care team masquerading as Branch and the trolls. The exact quantity of accrued treats is unknown, but one patient estimates their candy haul to be in the millions.
“Our goal is to make the hospital feel a little more like home, especially on days like Halloween,” said Jennifer Guilliams, director of the Child and Family Life program at KCH. “Being in the hospital shouldn’t mean missing out on the fun.”
The Child Life staff go to great lengths to ensure that every patient, no matter how sick, feels included. Patients who don’t feel well enough to participate hang a bag on their closed door so they can enjoy their treats later. Special attention is paid to those with allergies or food restrictions. Proper distancing and disinfection regulations are observed for patients at higher risk for infection. For those who don’t have a costume, they’re taken care of. UK HealthCare Auxiliary, along with Team Liam 23, an organization founded in memory of patient Liam Brown who died from neuroblastoma cancer in August, donated dozens of costumes, ensuring that everyone, from babies to teenagers, has the chance to dress up and join the fun. Volunteers from Christian Word Ministries made more than 90 pillowcases to hold the patients’ candy haul.
“Bringing Halloween to our patients lets them forget about being in the hospital for a while and just enjoy being kids,” said Guilliams. “It’s incredible to see so many people across UK HealthCare come together to create smiles and memories for our patients.”
Kentucky Children’s Hospital is now Golisano Children's at UK. Read about this change and the historic $50 million gift that will transform health care for Kentucky's kids: ukhealthcare.com/golisano.
UK HealthCare is the hospitals and clinics of the University of Kentucky. But it is so much more. It is more than 10,000 dedicated health care professionals committed to providing advanced subspecialty care for the most critically injured and ill patients from the Commonwealth and beyond. It also is the home of the state’s only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for the tiniest and sickest newborns and the region’s only Level 1 trauma center.
As an academic research institution, we are continuously pursuing the next generation of cures, treatments, protocols and policies. Our discoveries have the potential to change what’s medically possible within our lifetimes. Our educators and thought leaders are transforming the health care landscape as our six health professions colleges teach the next generation of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals, spreading the highest standards of care. UK HealthCare is the power of advanced medicine committed to creating a healthier Kentucky, now and for generations to come.