20,000 People Rally Behind “Batkid” & Grant Him Most Epic Make-A-Wish Ever.

batkid make-a-wish

The Make-A-Wish program is a charitable organization that grants sick children a special gift to give them love, joy, and strength during their fight towards wellness.

In 2013, one Make-A-Wish event transcended the usual “trip to Disney World” wishes, and in doing so, it joined the world in hope and love like no other wish has before, or since. It all started with five-year-old Miles Scott of Tuma Lake, California.


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Like many kids his age, Miles loves superheroes, especially Batman. Miles had been battling leukemia since he was 18 months old, and in spite of his hardships, he always maintained a sense of hope. When the Make-A-Wish of Greater Bay Area asked Miles what his wish was, his answer was simple: “I wish to be Batkid.”


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It was a lofty goal, but the Make-A-Wish organizers got to work. It ended up taking months of planning to put this wish together.

Working with San Francisco, they transformed parts of the city into Gotham, hired actors to play “Batman” characters, and planned an elaborate day in which Miles could assist his hero as they worked together to save Gotham from the Riddler and the Penguin.


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When management first made the plan to grant Miles’ wish, they thought they’d need about 200 volunteers to cheer Batkid on in the city. Then a volunteer heard about the wish, and he posted it on social media.

The story went viral!


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Soon Miles’ story was shared all over the country, and the world. Everyone who heard about it wanted to be a part of it. On Miles’ big day, thousands of San Francisco residents turned out to support Batkid.


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The police gave Batman and Batkid’s Batmobile a police escort, and soon the dynamic duo was putting the Riddler behind bars and receiving praise from the police chief.


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After lunch, it was back to work as they tracked down the Penguin, who had taken the San Francisco Giants’ mascot Lou Seal hostage.


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At the end of this incredibly busy day, Batkid met the Mayor of Gotham, who presented him with the Key to the City!


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Miles’ dad said that watching people pull together was such a special part of this unique and wonderful day.

The best thing about being a ‘Bat-dad’ is to see how our son made everybody’s life in San Francisco today. Everybody was happy. Everybody was smiling. It was pretty heartwarming to see that.


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Naturally, news of Batkid’s amazing day made headlines. Everyone was so happy to help a child feel special and powerful; it was exactly the kind of feel-good news story that the world needs.

Oh, and did we mention that President Obama took a moment to thank Batkid for saving the city? It doesn’t get much cooler than that!


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Thanks to the extra media coverage from Miles’ wish, the Make-A-Wish program gained hundreds of new volunteers and donations, helping them to grant wishes to even more kids in the coming years.


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Best yet, Miles is now in remission from his cancer. He just turned eight, is in third grade, loves to play baseball, and spends tons of time with his new little brother. We love a happy ending.


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Learn more about all the hard work that went into Miles’ special day in the video below, and don’t forget to share to spread the love!

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