Woman with cerebral palsy inspires joy with collection of handmade Halloween costumes

Oak Bay, B.C. -

Darcy strives to make every day fun while working with Mariel – who is non-verbal and quadriplegic – but the weeks leading up to Halloween are particularly creative.

“They do a day program thing so we always dress (Mariel) up,” Darcy says. “That’s how this got started.”

The first Halloween, Darcy attached a bunch of colourful candies to a pair of slacks, so Mariel could be a “Smartie Pants.”

“(Mariel) will laugh,” Darcy smiles. “She‘ll let you know if she likes something.”

The "Smartie" costume was such a hit, Mariel’s dad Jim encouraged Darcy to keep the costume ideas coming.

“Oh yeah,” Jim smiles. “Let’s keep upping the ante on this!”

So Darcy started searching for inspiration online, before Jim began transforming Mariel’s wheelchair into a Harley Davidson.

Although Mariel was born with cerebral palsy, on Halloween she could feel "born to be wild."

“It’s such a joy to empower her every opportunity we get,” Jim smiles.

Many of Mariel’s past costumes have been powered by puns.

She once wore a brown girl-guide shirt with a sash covered in marijuana leaves and 4-20 badges to become a "Pot Brownie." Another year, Mariel was a "Pumpkin Pie," thanks to a jack o’lantern costume with the math symbol Pi carved in it.

Darcy says Mariel’s favourite costume was when her wheelchair was transformed into a royal throne and she was dressed as Queen Elizabeth with a stuffed corgi dog on her lap.

“It was great,” Darcy laughs. “It definitely builds our relationship.”

While Darcy’s spent the past couple years working as Mariel’s full-time caregiver, she’s lived the past 25 years being her little sister.

“The way I had to grow into an older sister role to take care of my older sister was different,” Darcy says. “But it’s something I wouldn’t change for the world.”

Darcy says Mariel has been one her greatest teachers, offering lessons in strength, compassion, and love.

“And she’s always taught us to move forward in the happiest ways,” Darcy says. “And not dwell on what shouldn’t have happened, or what can’t be.”

It’s why every Halloween, Darcy and Jim leave nothing to "chance" (cue the picture of Mariel dressed as a blackjack dealer), ensuring Mariel’s costume is a "gift" (cue the photo of Mariel as a huge, wrapped present), that "lifts" both her spirit and others (cue the image showing Mariel’s wheelchair turned into the bucket of a hot-hair ballon with the colourful balloons rising above her).

“When Mariel comes into a room, smiles come onto people’s faces,” Jim says. “I’m so proud of both my daughters.”

This year, Mariel will be wearing a T-shirt that says "she" and a tray attached to her wheelchair that looks like a sandy beach covered in shells with price-tags.

“She sells seashells by the seashore,” Darcy smiles.

Although Mariel’s costume’s a tongue-twister, there’s no doubt it will be another crowd-pleaser when she debuts it at her day program on Halloween.