Mom Makes an Epic Eras Tour Costume for Her Son and His Wheelchair — and Someone in Taylor Swift’s Circle Got Noticed (Exclusive)

Henry Hinson’s mother, Erin, tells PEOPLE that he has wanted to be a dancer on the Ages at Halloween tour since last October

• Louisville mom Erin Hinson shared a now-viral post of her son Henry’s Eras Tour-inspired Halloween costume on Tiktok.

• The costume recreates the dancers’ fans from the opening moments of Taylor Swift’s show.

• Erin created the DIY costume for her son, who uses a wheelchair, using pool noodles, fabric and spray paint.

It’s been a long time.

Henry Hinson has known what he wanted to be for Halloween 2024 for over a year. His mother, Erin, told PEOPLE that since last fall, her now 11-year-old son — a huge Taylor Swift fan — has only worn one costume since seeing The Tour of the Ages film in theaters at the beginning of last October.

“He saw the opening, he saw Kam and Jan and some of the dancers come out, and they had, you know, big fans,” says Erin, 39, referring to the iconic pink and orange outfits of Eras Tour dancers like Kam Saunders and Jan Ravnik use it during the first few moments of the film and show. “And he went crazy in the theater. And as we were leaving, he said, ‘Mom, this is what I’m going to be next Halloween.’ And I thought, ‘Son, it’s not even real Halloween yet this year, are we already planning for next year?’ And he never, ever doubted that this is what I will be on Halloween.”

So this year, Erin got to work, using pool noodles and fabric for the fan, which Henry was able to flip back and forth all night. For his outfit, she wore a pink hazmat suit that she spray-painted to match her tour outfits.

Henry, says Erin, uses a wheelchair because he was diagnosed with spina bifida at birth and is paralyzed from the waist down.

“When he was a baby, I was always afraid that Halloween would be the only holiday that excluded him because he couldn’t go to the door and trick-or-treat,” she recalls. But when he was 3 or 4, Erin’s family connected with Kosair, a charity in Louisville that helps children with medical complexities. Kosair also hosts an annual event at the Louisville Zoo, during which one night of the Boo at the Zoo event is set aside to make it accessible to children with sensory issues or mobility needs.

“Since he started attending this event every year, his Halloween costumes have gotten more and more elaborate,” explains Erin. These costumes include a UPS truck, a fire truck, an ice cream truck, and a Supreme Court justice set – complete with her own judge’s bench. His older brother Oliver, 13, also accompanied him to the event in his own glitzy outfits.

For this year’s Boo at the Zoo, Erin placed a Bluetooth speaker in the cup holder of Henry’s wheelchair that played the musical mashup from the beginning of The Eras Tour. “A lot of the sororities volunteered that night to hand out candy, and every time he turned a corner they would say, ‘Oh my God!’ “, says the proud mother.

When Erin posted a video of Henry in costume on TikTok, it quickly gained more than 2 million views. She wrote in the caption: “Ever since he saw the movie #erastour, Henry said he wanted to be #kamsaunders for Halloween. We hope we did it justice! Happy #Halloween fellow #swifties!” Eras dancer Ravnik even commented, writing, “I loved it!!!!!”

“He’s an amazing kid,” Erin says of her son. “He has every right to be upset or bitter about the life he was given. He is 11 years old. He has had 21 major surgeries related to spina bifida. He has been in and out of the hospital his entire life. The situations that Henry deals with are, by far, greater than most of us will face in a lifetime. But still, how you see him in that video is how he is. He’s the happiest boy.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

And one of the things that helps him manage his hospital stays and procedures, says Erin, is Swift’s music.

“When he’s getting ready to have a two-hour MRI, he wears noise-canceling headphones and the Ages movie on, or 1989, which is his favorite album,” she says. She jokes that her family “from afar” earned their Disney+ subscription from how often Henry watched Swift’s concert film.

“I don’t think she will ever understand the impact she had on this little life, because she brings him a lot of peace in moments that aren’t peaceful,” adds Erin about the singer.

Henry hasn’t seen The Eras Tour in person due to the difficulty of affordable access, says Erin. For the same reason, he has yet to see his favorite football team — coincidentally Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs — at their Missouri stadium. (However, hours after PEOPLE spoke with Erin, she shared the exciting news that he will be taking part in an Eras Tour show in Indianapolis this fall, thanks to the attention surrounding his attire.)

Related: Taylor Swift Announces New Eras Tour Book and Department of Tortured Poets: The Anthology on CD, Vinyl

Erin is thrilled with the positive reception Henry’s costume has received online, calling it “a huge confidence boost” for him. And she’s happy to show others that “this is what disability looks like. It’s like figuring it out, day by day, to make sure my son lives the best life he can live.”

Erin and Henry are also happy that their post caused some people to look for ways to make trick-or-treating more accessible, including moving candy delivery to the garage, which is what many in their community do. And this October 31st, Henry will be there celebrating, dressed in his Eras Tour tribute.

For more People news, sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article in People.