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A Very Special Birthday Wish for Caleb

aeliasen
Employee
Employee

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever wished for? For Caleb Yao, son of Southwest First Officer Hans Yao, his wish was that for his sixth birthday he could get 10,000 model planes. What’s even more unbelievable? To date, he’s received more than 250 planes. Caleb’s birthday wish came during a particularly hard time for him and his family. Caleb’s mother, Karen, was nine-weeks pregnant with Caleb when she found out she had breast cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and a mastectomy while she was pregnant with him, and Caleb was born healthy.  Karen’s treatment worked and she was in remission, until about 18 months ago, when she discovered she had recurrences in brain and bone. Hans was a new Pilot at Southwest Airlines when the recurrences were discovered and Karen restarted her treatments. During those treatments, Hans’ fellow Southwest Pilots started a fund drive for Karen, and many Pilots have generously contributed nearly $50,000 to date! From time-to-time, Hans updates her status and treatment on the donation website and discussion thread on the Southwest Airlines Pilot's Association (SWAPA) website. Last month, one of those updates was from Karen’s blog, in which she mentioned that Caleb had told her he wanted 10,000 model airplanes for his birthday. From there, Southwest Pilots responded and boxes of model planes began arriving at their home—over 200 boxes full of airplanes came with Caleb's name on them and the jetstream hasn't stopped yet. The Yao family could hardly believe the outpouring of support that Caleb received to fulfill his wish. “Caleb’s birthday wish seemed so far-fetched,” says Hans. “But as we saw the model planes come in, we knew that our Southwest Family was supporting us. It made us smile when we haven’t in a while.” The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) heard about Caleb’s story and wanted to continue celebrating Caleb’s birthday. So, they took him for a plane ride a few days after and also donated some model planes to add to his growing collection. Some wishes are beyond imagination, and some, like Caleb’s, can come true, all thanks to the kind Hearts of Southwest Employees.