It seems like cancer affects everything. There’s no getting around the difficult truth of this when you have a five-year-old battling leukemia, but every once in a great while, the effect is actually thrilling!
Recently Daniel, our sun beam, told Make-A-Wish® Arizona volunteers he wished for a trip to the Florida theme parks. The thing he was most excited about? Riding in a REAL airplane!!!! Only the oldest of our four boys remembers having been on a plane before, and they were all looking forward to the flight as much as they were looking forward to our time in Florida. They were not disappointed!
The Customer Service Agent, Bonnie, was kind and patiently answered a dozen questions from our two youngest thinkers. Bonnie was fabulous, and we were grateful. She met us downstairs, helped us through security, let us know where the nearby restaurants were, and even had a sweet gift in hand for each of our sons. She made sure everything was in order and escorted us onto the plane.
We were among the first passengers to board, and it was such a blessing to choose our seats, settle in, and familiarize our kiddos with the plane before taking off. Daniel even had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit in the pilot’s seat and push the throttle! All of our boys are full of curiosity, and everyone was friendly and patient, answering questions and making sure we had everything we needed.
Mid-flight, an especially sweet Flight Attendant, Jane, asked me for the names of everyone in our family. She then made an announcement to all the passengers that Daniel was on board, and that he and our family were on his Make-A-Wish trip! Everyone cheered as she presented all of the boys with crowns made out of airline snacks, and gave Daniel a certificate commemorating his Make-A-Wish flight! I’ve never seen anything like it. Daniel felt like a million bucks, and the whole family was even more blessed when someone anonymously handed Jane money for our family, wrapped in a white piece of paper that read, “Enjoy your time with the family!” Words fail me!
Thank you, Southwest Airlines, for the role you played in making Daniel’s wish come true in ways we couldn't have imagined. Thank you to your Frontline Employees for their friendly attentiveness and for going above and beyond the call of duty at every turn--thank you for making our little fighter feel championed. Thank you for your generosity in flying our family to Florida and for your commitment to making so many wishes come true.