Charlie was also surprised on the flight as the crew of Southwest Airlines made a special announcement paying tribute to her strength.
When a child has cancer, the impact of the situation extends to the entire family as well. Routines are disintegrated. Parents are pulled down from other day-to-day chores and activities to attend to the requirements of the child. In these dire situations, it is almost painful to see your child suffer. But what happens when your child has the wish to go see the world or go to a place they've always wanted to? Sometimes, for families with cancer patients, finances can be hard to come by but what if someone else decided to take them out for a vacation instead? This exact scenario happened to 6-year-old Charlie who is suffering from brain cancer.
A youtube video posted by a famous content creator called Isaiah Garza, documented Charlie's little trip to Hawaii. The video starts with Garza stopping the mom and daughter duo and asking "If you could pick anywhere in the world to go visit where would you want to go sweetheart ?" Charlie coyly replies, "Hawaii". This is when Garza decides to make her wish come true and take her to Hawaii. I mean, isn't that just so sweet? While boarding on their airplane, the stewardess and the crew surprised Charlie and her mom. She announced while speaking into the mic saying, "Ladies and gentlemen on behalf of Southwest Airlines would like to introduce you to a very special guest today on board. Her name is Charlie. Charlie's been fighting brain cancer for the past two and a half years. Southwest Airlines surprised her and her family with a surprise vacation tomorrow. Please give Charlie and her family a big round of applause!"
The video fasts forward to Charlie enjoying the water, having a swim, making sand fairies and going to aquariums. In the end, she said, "I like playing in the sand and making memories with my family. Best vacation ever." The video has received 28 million views with over 18,000 comments. "I’m genuinely sobbing to this. bless this girl's heart, she’s been through so much, dude", commented Lamelynn. "This is the kind of shit that will make me cry EVERY TIME! I pray every night for all the babies and children who are going through things like cancer and other illnesses. She is so sweet and beautiful! I’m so happy she was able to live her Hawaiian dreams! " said, Vannessa. "God bless that little angel and her family. I will keep her in my prayers so that she makes a full recovery soon. Keep on fighting, little princess stay strong", wrote, Becky Bailey.
Just like Charlie, 6-year-old Hyrum Mace and his family got a pleasant surprise. He was honored as an Honorary Pilot of Breeze Airways. Hyrem has cancer and is traveling to Utah after receiving treatment in California. Every two weeks, Hyrem and his parents visit Stanford's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital in Palo Alto. He was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, or DIPG, a form of cancer in April. Hyrem's father Michael thanked the airways for their service and he tweeted, "Thanks @BreezeAirways for making cancer treatments a possibility. Flying every two weeks to SFO wouldn’t be possible without your help. Even with #DIPG (terminal brain tumor), my boy is always happy with his window seat. Here’s hoping that we keep flying."
Thanks @BreezeAirways for making cancer treatments a possibility. Flying every two weeks to SFO wouldn’t be possible without your help. Even with #DIPG (terminal brain tumor), my boy is always happy with his window seat. Here’s hoping that we keep flying. #StrongestMan #SMM pic.twitter.com/u1SFwHwmjc
— Michael Mace (@wearethemaces) August 25, 2022
This is also when Breeze stepped in and decided to do something for Hyrem. Apparently they "brainstormed" and came up with a "pep rally and honorary pilot recognition." Breeze had coordinated with Michael and they had also promised to take care of their travel fare. Michael Mace said Hyrum was "really excited" when the captain handed him the badge which he didn't take off for the next few days. Not only this but Breeze airways always opened a GofundMe campaign to collect money for family saying, "flights and whatever Hyrum may need for his treatments."