Leonardo Muylaert, known as the "Brazilian Superman," visited the Child Health Department at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra during his first trip to Africa, lifting the spirits of children undergoing cancer treatment. The 2.03-metre-tall lawyer moved from bed to bed, sparking smiles, selfies and renewed energy among patients and families. He also joined a football match at a local prosthetics workshop and drew praise from Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana. Muylaert said small acts of kindness can inspire others and his mission is to spread happiness wherever he goes.
Brazilian 'Superman' Brings Joy to Child Cancer Patients at Korle Bu, Accra
Leonardo Muylaert, known as the "Brazilian Superman," visited the Child Health Department at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra during his first trip to Africa, lifting the spirits of children undergoing cancer treatment. The 2.03-metre-tall lawyer moved from bed to bed, sparking smiles, selfies and renewed energy among patients and families. He also joined a football match at a local prosthetics workshop and drew praise from Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana. Muylaert said small acts of kindness can inspire others and his mission is to spread happiness wherever he goes.
06:52 PM, 11/15/2025Society
Brazilian 'Superman' lifts spirits at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital
The three-storey Child Health Department at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra is usually marked by quiet corridors, laboured breathing and parents clinging to hope. But on Friday that subdued atmosphere was replaced by shrieks of delight as children with drips taped to their arms sat up and smiled.
Almost six feet seven inches tall (2.03 metres) and clad in the classic blue-and-red Superman suit and cape, Leonardo Muylaert—better known as the "Brazilian Superman"—spent the day moving from bed to bed, offering attention and encouragement to young patients and their families.
"He moved from bed to bed, giving each child attention. For some of them, this is the first time we've seen them smile in weeks," a nurse said.
For 35-year-old Regina Awuku, whose five-year-old son is fighting leukaemia, the visit felt like a miracle. "My son was so happy to see Superman. This means a lot to us," she told AFP. "You saw my son lying quietly on the bed, but he had the energy to wake up as soon as he saw him."
Outside the costume, Muylaert is a civil-rights lawyer who needs reading glasses for work. His widespread recognition began in 2022 at Comic-Con São Paulo when a video of his likeness to Superman actor Christopher Reeve went viral. He later bought a vintage-style costume and began visiting hospitals, schools and charities across Brazil—always free of charge.
On his first trip to Africa, a one-week visit to Ghana, Muylaert also visited a prosthetics workshop on the outskirts of Accra, where amputee children cheered and invited him onto their football pitch.
Akua Sarpong, founder of Lifeline for Childhood Cancer Ghana, praised the impact: "It has been a fun-filled day. I have seen so many children smiling and happy, even children undergoing treatment sitting up that I haven’t seen in a long time. He has brought such positive change."
Reflecting on his work, Muylaert said the visit reinforced his belief in small acts of kindness: "Everybody can be a hero… you don’t need a cape. The smile on their faces changes the world." As he prepared to return to Brazil, he added, "Maybe we won’t change the whole world, but as long as we inspire one person, that person inspires the other."