Chicago Family Asks Northwest Side Neighborhood to Redo Halloween for 3-Year-Old Boy

A Chicago family got creative to give their son a belated Halloween celebration – and they had plenty of help in pulling it off.

A post on community discussion site EveryBlock Thursday asked for a little assistance in the city’s Portage Park neighborhood.

A Northwest Side couple requested that anyone who lives near the 5500 block of West Grace Street join in a belated trick-or-treat for 3-year-old Ryan.

Ryan missed the actual Halloween celebration on Tuesday because he was admitted to the ICU, the friends of his family wrote. [[332156562, C]]

“He is home now and feeling better but he keeps asking his parents when he can go trick or treating. This is where you come in,” Portage Park residents Kathryn and Ryan Reilly said.

They requested that anyone living in their neighborhood that planned to be home between 5 and 6 p.m. make their house (and their candy) available to “give Ryan a Halloween he will never forget.”

The unusual request garnered dozens of comments on EveryBlock and various neighborhood Facebook groups, from both community members and well-wishers from afar.

“We know this is out of the ordinary but we truly hope you will help us help Ryan have the Halloween he missed,” Kathryn wrote.

Ryan's mother said Sunday afternoon that she wanted to recognize and thank the Portage Park community for helping her son to celebrate the holiday in such a special way. 

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