Family builds elaborate Star Wars costume to accommodate 5-year-old with cerebral palsy

Sebastian Bailey, 5, who has cerebral palsy, stands in his Halloween costume dressed as Han Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon from the original "Star Wars" movies. Sandy, Utah, Oct. 27, 2015 | AP photo by Chantelle Bailey, St. George News

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Star Wars-loving Utah family devised an elaborate and awe-inspiring solution to the challenge of finding a Halloween costume for their 5-year-old son with cerebral palsy.

Chantelle Bailey and her husband, Patrick, pose with their children, from left, Holden, Eden, Sebastian, and Ava, 3 in their Halloween costumes. Sandy, Utah, Oct. 27, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Chantelle Bailey via AP, St. George News
Chantelle Bailey and her husband, Patrick, pose with their children, from left, Holden, Eden, Sebastian, and Ava, in their Halloween costumes. Sandy, Utah, Oct. 27, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Chantelle Bailey via AP, St. George News

Chantelle and Patrick Bailey built a detailed replica of the Millennium Falcon that fits around Sebastian Bailey’s walker. It is made of corrugated plastic with a wood foundation. It features blue lights in the back and headlights in the front to match the famous spaceship.

On top near Sebastian’s arm is a small black apparatus with a big yellow button called a speech button. It’s what Sebastian uses to communicate since he can’t talk. For the costume, they’ve programmed it with his older brother saying, “trick or treat” interspersed with some of Han Solo’s iconic one-liners from the Star Wars movie, such as, “Sure hope the old man got that tractor beam out of commission, or this is gonna be a real short trip. OK, hit it!”

Sebastian will go trick-or-treating in it dressed as Han Solo. His older brother, Holden, 8, is dressed as Luke Skywalker and their parents will go as R2-D2 and Chewbacca.

Sebastian Bailey, who has cerebral palsy, stands in his Superman/Clark Kent Halloween costume that his parents created that fits around his walker, at their home. Sandy, Utah, October 2013 | Photo courtesy of Chantelle Bailey via AP, St. George News
Sebastian Bailey, who has cerebral palsy, stands in his Superman/Clark Kent Halloween costume that his parents created that fits around his walker, at their home. Sandy, Utah, October 2013 | Photo courtesy of Chantelle Bailey via AP, St. George News

But the Baileys couldn’t persuade their two daughters, Eden, 9, and Ava, 3, to join the theme. Eden insisted on being a bee and Ava, Spider-Man.

Chantelle Bailey said she and her husband stayed up late nearly every night for three weeks after their four children were asleep to build the spaceship. They did the sawing, drawing and gluing in the kitchen so they could watch TV. At first, she assigned the job to her husband, but she quickly realized it would be a two-person job.

It wasn’t their first foray into elaborate Halloween costume making. Two years ago, they built the red phone booth in which Clark Kent becomes Superman to go around Sebastian’s walker.

Sebastian debuted his personal Millennium Falcon on Tuesday at a trunk-or-treat event at their church. It was a hit, with people giving Sebastian high-fives and pats on the back all night, Chantelle Bailey said. He’ll wear it again Saturday to go trick-or-treating in their neighborhood in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy.

Sebastian Bailey, 5, who has cerebral palsy, stands in his Halloween costume dressed as Han Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon from the original "Star Wars" movies. Sandy, Utah, Oct. 27, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Chantelle Bailey via AP, St. George News
Sebastian Bailey, 5, who has cerebral palsy, stands in his Halloween costume dressed as Han Solo aboard the Millennium Falcon from the original “Star Wars” movies. Sandy, Utah, Oct. 27, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Chantelle Bailey via AP, St. George News

“It makes it easier for other kids to approach him,” she said. “He’s happy. He likes to hit the button.”

People are already asking what they’ll do next year for an encore, but Chantelle Bailey says this might be their final act. Sebastian is starting to walk a bit on his own, she said.

“Maybe he won’t need one next year,” she said.

Story by: BRADY McCOMBS, Associated Press

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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