PORTLAND, Ore. — A kid-sized version of a NASCAR race car arrived at Randall Children’s Hospital on Friday
The purpose is to help children take their minds off the medical treatments they have to endure.
It's named "Rebel Racer," after Rick Rebel, a longtime Albany resident who helped raise the money for the car. He hoped to celebrate the race car's arrival, but recently lost his battle with cancer.
Friday would have been Rebel's 67th birthday.
The car is the first Children’s Dream Racer car delivered to a children’s hospital on the west coast.
It has all sorts of cool details that make it feel like a real race car. It even has an entertainment platform.
The maker, Children's Dream Racer constructs the cars from the same authentic materials used to make the ones speeding around a NASCAR track.
The hope is that it will help distract kids from the stress of being in the hospital for medical treatments. Doctors say they think the race car will help.
“I think that anything we can do to make kids feel better emotionally, will help them with their physical illnesses,” said Dr. Janice Olson, the Medical Director Of Children’s Cancers and Blood Disorders Program at Randall Children’s Hospital.
“If we can ease that suffering just even a little bit for those few moments that brings us all the joy in the world,” said Jill Pedersen, a representative for the Oregon Association of Health Underwriters.
Another race car was built for CARES Northwest, an organization working to stop child abuse and neglect.