Eric Hart has built props for Broadway plays and retail displays, but the
Iron Man costume he constructed for his sick newborn has to be his most meaningful project. Eric's son,
Collier Hart, has been at the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit ever since his premature birth in July. As Halloween approached, Eric decided to make the holiday special for his son by putting together an
Iron Man costume. Eric believed it would make
Collier ""feel brave."
Eric told Today.com, “
I came up with Iron Man because he’s been hooked up to all those machines and wires, and that’s similar to what Iron Man went through.”
Eric asked nurses ahead of time if would be okay to create a costume for his son and once they gave him the okay he found an
Iron Man pattern online. It took him around three to four hours to make. The sheer joy of seeing Collier in it, even though it was only for a brief moment, made it all worth it for Eric after the "months of physical and spiritual exhaustion."
“We thought we’d dress him up and take some pictures for the grandparents, the family and some friends,” said Hart, 35. “I figured I’d put the little mask on top of him just long enough to take a picture.”