Toledo’s SWAT team traded tactical gear for big smiles this week — rappelling down the side of a local children’s hospital in a surprise visit that turned a tough week into a magical one for young patients and their families.

Members of the Toledo Police Department’s SWAT team descended the side of Nationwide Children’s Hospital in full gear, stopping at windows to wave, pose and press hands against the glass with the kids inside. The visit was captured in a photo gallery by The Blade’s Rebecca Benson — and the photos are pure Toledo gold.

Among the highlights: 5-year-old Colt Netcher, dressed as Spider-Man, giving a high-five through the glass to a SWAT officer suited up as Wolverine. It’s the kind of moment that stops a hospital room in its tracks.

For families spending long days and nights inside hospital walls, a surprise like this one matters more than words. The officers weren’t responding to an emergency — they were creating a memory. And for kids staring down scary diagnoses and long, boring hospital days, seeing real-life heroes (and superheroes) come down from the sky is the stuff they’ll talk about for years.

It’s a good reminder of what this city does best: show up for each other, especially for the kids.

See all the photos — including the Spider-Man/Wolverine high-five — in The Blade’s full gallery.

Featured image: Max DeRoin / Pexels