Seattle, WA
Seattle Children's Hospital uses video games to help treat patients
Seattle Children’s uses video games to help with cancer treatment
Seattle Children’s Hospital is turning to video games to help patients get through cancer treatment, offering accessible entertainment and a healthy distraction during an otherwise painful process.
SEATTLE – Seattle Children’s Hospital is turning to video games to help treat patients.
Hospital staff said it provides accessible entertainment for patients and a healthy distraction during the worst of their treatments.
FOX 13 Seattle met with a young patient, Aria McDonald, who says Mario Kart helped her through cancer.
“There’s a lot of low lows to go through, you know, there’s a lot of scary times,” said Patrick McDonald, Aria’s dad. “You just have to get through. We were getting through day to day.”
Like a lap around Mario Kart Stadium, this journey came with its own set of obstacles Aria had to push through.
“It was just depressing,” Aria said. “You just sit there, getting chemo, medications. You don’t feel good, and it’s just sad.”
“I was shocked — shocked was the first thing that came in,” Patrick said. “You never want to hear, you never even want to think that your child has cancer.”
For the last three years of her young life, Aria has been battling high-risk neuroblastoma.
“It starts as a tumor above the pituitary gland, and it spreads,” said Cecily McDonald, Aria’s mom. “So, with Aria — it had spread all over. It also causes fractures within some of your bones. It causes a lot of pain.”
At one point, Aria’s cancer treatment plan became so intense, she had a three-month stay at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
“We were able to get that tumor out and then chemo started repairing her bones and getting the tumors out of the fractures,” Cecily said. “It just really started shrinking all of that. When she had her bone marrow transplant, that was very intense but it got all of that out of her bone marrow.”
Between surgeries and high-potency medications, life in the hospital was taking a toll on Aria emotionally and mentally.
“The hardest part was not getting to interact as much as I used to,” Aria said.
“Often times, it’s yes, you do lose hope — and you are at a point where you can’t go another second, but you just remember there’s so many people cheering for her and supporting our family,” Cecily said.
In her final lap for the cup, the Seattle Children’s team introduced Aria to competitive video games in hopes of lifting her spirits.
“There was nothing really to do, so we just started gaming and setting up tournaments,” Aria said.
Aria would play with her nurses, her care team and just about anyone who was prepared to take on her signature Mario character of choice — Blue Shy Guy.
“It just changed everything,” Cecily said. “Even when she was getting these intensive therapies, she’s still playing.”
Instead of walking laps around the hospital wing, Aria was burning rubber underwater and in the sky.
“It was just so exciting to see her jump around the bed and be excited to play, just dance, and absolutely shellac people against the wall in Mario Kart,” said Maximillian Williams, therapeutic gaming specialist, Seattle Children’s Hospital.
At Seattle Children’s, the hospital has a dedicated department for therapeutic video games and technology for patient care.
“We have close to a million dollars in video game technology, easily,” Williams said. “We have a hundred consoles, I’d say live on the floors in carts, between outpatient and standalones and consoles to put in the units.”
So that even on their worst days, patients have something to look forward to.
“[Some of] these are huge, cinematic award-winning [games] — with a script, some with writing awards,” Williams said. “Really big, giant stories that you can sink your teeth into and go into this journey with this character.”
Before they knew it, Aria was pulling into first place, ready to cross her finish line to recovery.
In February, she rang the bell — signifying the completion of her cancer treatment. It’s Aria’s own version of a checkered flag at the end.
“It was really awesome, because I was done with all of the treatments,” Aria said.
“Her whole care team was there,” Patrick said. “And it’s just a feeling that she did it, and just thinking about all the people she had to go through to get there made it pretty special.”
Aria’s race doesn’t end here, she’s just getting started.
As of February, Aria is cancer-free.
She still goes to Seattle Children’s Hospital for a check-up every three months.
Aria is still a fierce competitor on the Mario Kart track, even taking part in online tournaments.
Seattle Children’s told FOX 13 Seattle they have more than a million dollars worth of video game equipment at the hospital. That’s thanks to partnerships they have with different organizations like Starlight Foundation and even Nintendo.
They have consoles and games for all ages to suit any child’s interests.
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Ranger Suarez carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 6-2 on Friday night.
Suarez (3-3) struck out five and walked three in 6 2/3 innings. His no-hit bid ended with Josh Naylor’s one-out double in the seventh.
The 30-year-old lefty earned his first win since April 27 against Toronto.
Caleb Durbin put the Red Sox ahead with a second-inning solo homer, his fifth of the year. Durbin had his second three-hit game this season, with his first coming against Tampa Bay on June 10.
Ceddanne Rafaela scored on a wild pitch in the seventh, and Marcelo Mayer drove in two more runs with a bases-loaded single.
Carlos Narváez added a sacrifice fly before Seattle finally escaped the inning on a diving catch by Dominic Canzone in right field.
Suarez issued a two-out walk that loaded the bases in the seventh on his final pitch of the night, but Justin Slaten ended the threat by striking out pinch-hitter J.P. Crawford to preserve a 5-0 lead.
Mayer added one more insurance run with a ninth-inning RBI double. The Mariners got on the board thanks to Julio Rodríguez’s two-run homer in the ninth.
Seattle starter Bryce Miller (3-1) struck out seven in five innings. He allowed three hits and one run.
Luis Castillo, who has started in all but three of his 258 career appearances, gave up five runs in four innings of relief as the Mariners revived their “piggyback” rotation.
Up next
Red Sox LHP Connelly Early (5-5, 3.81 ERA) starts opposite Mariners RHP Emerson Hancock (5-3, 3.28) on Saturday night.
Seattle, WA
Seattle fans pack waterfront hours early as USA defeats Australia, advances in World Cup
SEATTLE — Soccer fans descended on Seattle’s waterfront well before kickoff Friday, staking out their spots early to watch a highly anticipated World Cup matchup at Seattle Stadium between the United States and Australia. That patience paid off as Team USA won the match and now advances to the knockout round.
The atmosphere at Pier 62 was electric from the start, with fans lining up for prime viewing positions, whether down on the water’s edge or taking in the sweeping scene from the waterfront overlook above.
“I mean, look at all these people that are here hours beforehand to celebrate this incredible game,” said Paul Hanson, who was rooting for Team USA. “The hairs are going up on the arm.”
The energy was a draw in itself.
“The energy is amazing, everyone’s in a great mood, it’s just a lot of fun to be down here,” Maggie McNeil said.
Not everyone in the crowd was wearing red, white, and blue.
Lizzie Manning hails from Melbourne, Australia, and is now living in the Pacific Northwest.
Manning told KOMO News she hasn’t been back home in nearly a decade, but taking in the U.S.A-Australia match with the waterfront crowd gave her a taste of it.
“Whenever I see another Australian I’m like, ‘Aussie Aussie Aussie, oy oy oy,’” she said. “I feel so close to home. I need a meat pie, life’s good.”
“I’ve met so many people who are visiting from other countries,” Seattle resident Maddie Chaplain said. “I sat next to a couple yesterday who was eating dumplings for the first time from Argentina, that was so awesome.”
With Team USA advancing, fans like Aaron Olson say they’ll be back for more.
“USA’s gonna win it,” Olson said. “I will come down here every game. This is spectacular.”
The World Cup watch parties continue on Pier 62 throughout the tournament. They are free and open to the public with online registration, but capacity is limited.
Seattle News Weekly S1E44: FIFA Frenzy hits the PNW
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is off and running as Seattle prepares to host the United States vs. Australia match on Friday. With more matches to be played in the Emerald City after that, FOX 13’s David Rose, Dan Griffin and Austin Lane are taking a closer look at the biggest stories surrounding the international tournament. Dan is hearing from fans on Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson’s decision to turn on CCTV cameras during the World Cup, Austin is taking a deeper dive into why ties are a good thing in the group stage, and David revisits the lessons learned from the first match hosted in Seattle between Egypt and Belgium.
SEATTLE – The FIFA World Cup has taken Seattle by storm, bringing global excitement to our city and visitors from across the world.
On this week’s episode of the ‘Seattle News Weekly’ podcast, David Rose, Dan Griffin and Austin Lane discuss the top headlines of the week that have emerged alongside the buzz about the FIFA World Cup 2026.
A Massive Tournament Expansion
The hosts open the podcast with a discussion on how historically large this year’s FIFA World Cup is compared to years past. Expanded to 48 teams (up from 32), the tournament features a record 104 matches over 39 days across 16 host cities. Seattle is hosting six of those matches.
Austin explains the value of “ties” in the group stage—especially with the new format where 32 teams advance to the knockout stage instead of 16—meaning a single point from a tie carries significant weight.
At the time of recording, the US had already defeated Paraguay and is preparing to face Australia at “Seattle Stadium,” where a win would guarantee advancement.
Transit Tactics
Dan Griffin reports on the city’s transit system, noting that while the light rail is moving a massive influx of people smoothly, transit authorities are actively “throttling” passengers.
This practice involves controlling crowd flow onto platforms to ensure safety, which has caused wait times of over an hour for some fans on TikTok. Transit officials recommend that fans walk to stations slightly further away from the stadium district to get moving faster.
The CCTV Security Debate
The hosts talk about how security is a major focal point. The FBI has already had to confiscate drones being flown illegally downtown. More prominently, Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson activated controversial closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the Stadium District following “general but credible threats” identified by law enforcement.
While an activist group called Community, Not Cameras expressed fears that the surveillance puts vulnerable populations at risk due to federal agency presence, visitors and fans interviewed largely welcomed the extra layer of security. The cameras are expected to be turned off after the World Cup concludes.
Cultural Celebrations and Fan Experiences
The hosts play a clip from reporter Lauren Donovan who provides a colorful look at the fan festivities happening in the city. She highlights the “March to the Match,” describing Monday morning where Belgian fans swarmed Victory Hall alongside middle school band directors from the Stanwood-Camano district who were recruited to drum for them.
She also joins celebrating Egyptian fans, whose match against Belgium ended in an enthusiastic tie. The hosts note that international fans (like those from Australia) are already flooding local attractions, including Seattle Mariners baseball games, turning the sporting event into a broader West Coast vacation.
Seattle News Weekly is a podcast that goes in depth and gives context to the stories that matter to the western Washington community. Check back every Thursday for a new episode on your favorite podcast platform, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pandora, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn and Audible or YouTube.
MORE WORLD CUP NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
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