When Miles Scott was 5 years old and fighting leukemia, all he wanted was to become Batman.
Back in November 2013, Make-A-Wish — known for granting “wishes” to children struggling from serious and life-threatening illnesses — worked with San Francisco’s late mayor Ed Lee and the local police and fire departments (among many other groups) to transform the city into Batman’s beloved city of Gotham.
Over 20,000 people flooded the streets — some holding posters of encouragement, others sporting Batman masks — to support Miles, a.k.a. “Batkid,” as he not only fought crime and villains, but also his serious illness.
Now, five years later, the boy, who captured the hearts of many, is cancer-free, Make-A-Wish confirmed.
“Miles has returned to being a typical kid — playing little league, going to school, helping his family farm, and even selling his first market goat in the local fair!” the non-profit organization said in a statement. “Now 10 years old and in fifth grade, Miles loves science and robotics.”
Miles, who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 1, still makes visits to an oncologist once a year, but fortunately has been cancer-free since his “Batday” in 2013.
In late 2013, Miles, wearing his Batsuit, paraded around San Francisco in a black Lamborgini — designed to resemble the Batmobile — and made stops at different scenes involving police and firefighters. He even had the opportunity to capture the Riddler.
To make the day more special, the San Francisco Chronicle published a special edition of the newspaper — the headline, “Batkid Saves City,” was printed across the newly-titled Gotham City Chronicle — and Miles was granted a key to the city.
The celebration caught the attention of many, even then-president Barack Obama and astronauts at the International Space Station, who sent words of encouragement.
Beyond a memorable day, his wish also became a medical milestone, as it marked the end of his treatments, Make-A-Wish said. His mom, Natalie, told the nonprofit at the time that it “meant closure for our family and an end to over three years of putting toxic drugs in our son’s body.”
And following his special day, Miles was convinced that he was Batkid.
“He just thought he was doing his job,” Make-a-Wish director Jen Wilson, who put the citywide event together, told the San Francisco Chronicle. “He took his work seriously. He thought Batkid might need to stick around.”
Miles’ special day was later turned into a documentary called Batkid Begins, produced by Warner Bros. The film follows his leukemia journey from the time he was 18 months up until his Make-A-Wish day in 2013. It is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime, Netflix, iTunes, Vudu, and Red Box.
The event also impacted more than just the Scott family.
In the days and years since “Batday,” Make-A-Wish said they saw a major increase in donations, volunteers, referrals and other services. Their website also crashed for several hours on the day of Miles’ wish because of the increase in traffic.
“It was an incredibly powerful boost to our organization,” Wilson told the Chronicle. “Batkid was responsible for that.”
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