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“He said, ‘That’s a good idea mama,’ and I said, ‘I’m going to do that for you, bud,’” she said.

After his death, his parents started the foundation to make life a little brighter for patients just like Mason.

The Belle River-based foundation orders hospital-grade IV poles with skateboard wheel casters then customizes them with bright colours and designs.

The family contracts local shops to paint the poles and cut out the metal images for the top of each one.

“Then we assemble them all in our garage,” Bacon said.

Wonder Woman’s logo, Iron Man’s mask, Captain America’s shield, penguins, crowns, snowflakes, bows and Batman’s symbol in its traditional yellow and also in pink are among the pole designs now at Children’s Hospital.

“We are so excited to have these,” said Children’s Hospital director Kelly Finlayson.

“It’s an extension of the children. It goes with them everywhere. So the fact they can pick one that suits their mood or their personality is so exciting.”

The Fight Like Mason Foundation, with the help of donations from the community, has placed 141 of the poles in hospitals around Southwestern Ontario in the past year, Bacon said. The non-profit also organizes superhero visits to area hospitals and funds research grants.

For Bacon, every research dollar, every IV pole and every smile they put on a child’s face is a way to keep Mason’s spirit alive.

“He didn’t get to go to school, he didn’t get to make a lot of friends and this way we get to share him worldwide,” she said. “It’s like he has a billion friends everywhere.”