LATEST NEWS
San Francisco Transforms Into Gotham City For Boy’s Batman Wish
November 15, 2013 2:20 PM
The Batkid (Make-A-Wish Foundation)
Related Tags
Batkid, Batman, Gotham City,Leukemia, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Miles, San Francisco, SFBatkid
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – A young leukemia patient was realizing his dream to become Batman for a day, with an army of volunteers transforming part of San Francisco into ‘Gotham City’ Friday.
5-year-old Miles Scott from Siskiyou County traversed the city Friday, maneuvering through huge throngs of admirers as a superhero fighting crime with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Volunteers, businesses, the San Francisco Giants and even the city’s mayor and police department were all pitching in to make the adventure as realistic as possible.
Miles, whose leukemia is currently in remission, has become an internet sensation as the project which has taken on a life of its own through social media.
Just after 10 a.m. Friday, Miles emerged from a Union Square garage in the Batmobile, accompanied by a second Batmobile, in front of a throng of onlookers, well-wishers and reporters held back by police barriers.
- FBI, U.S. Attorney On Indictment Of Riddler, Penguin (.pdf)
- Videos: Batkid Springs Into Action In SF Gotham City
- Photos: Batkid Saves The Day
The vehicles — two black Lamborghinis with Batman decals – were escorted by police, who also blocked off roads.
“There’s going to be mayhem and it’s going to be wonderful mayhem and love,” said Make-A-Wish Executive Director Patricia Wilson. “”I’ve been at Make-A-Wish for 15 years and never did I think something like this would be possible.”
Miles had some help … in the form of a full-sized Batman – played by inventor and acrobat Eric Johnston – encouraging him along the way as he confronted dastardly foes like the Riddler and the Penguin.
“Riddler and Penguin are watching right now. we can’t tip our hand to them,” said Johnston.
There was a damsel in distress saved on the Hyde Street cable car tracks, and the Riddler was foiled after trying to rob a bank vault on Montgomery Street.
Then during a quick lunch near Union Square, the next crime involved the evil Penguin kidnapping Giants mascot Lou Seal before our hero’s eyes.
Batkid reportedly chased them down in the Batmobile, saving Lou Seal and saving the day.
Friday’s caped crusades ended with a special honor for Batkid from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee at City Hall Friday afternoon.
Organizers hope Friday’s day-long celebration of Miles will give him new powers. “Some new skills, to face things that are changing too fast, that you’re not sure how it’s going to go and just charge into it doing backflips,” said Johnston.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation, which turns dreams into reality for sick children, will be using social media to describe Miles’ journey throughout the city on Friday. People can follow along using the hashtag #SFBatkid on Twitter.
“This wish has meant closure for our family and an end to over three years of putting toxic drugs in our son’s body,” Miles’ mother Natalie said in a statement. “This wish has become kind of a family reunion and is our celebration of his treatment completion.”
More information about the day of events for Miles, or information on how to donate to the foundation, can be found online athttp://sf.wish.org/news-and-events/news/wish-news/batman.
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
No comments:
Post a Comment