The mayor of San Francisco, the police chief and a cast of thousands of volunteers are transforming their city into Gotham City for a day to help fulfill a little boy’s wish.
Five-year-old Miles is fighting leukemia, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the Greater Bay Area will grant his wish to be “Batkid” on Nov. 15.
Patricia Wilson, executive director of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, joins Here & Now’s Robin Young.
Interview Highlights: Patricia Wilson
On Miles’ wish to be Batman
“It’s a rare public wish. Most of our wishes are very private and intimate, and this one is one in which we needed people to assist, and people are rising. And there really isn’t a better city for this. I don’t think that this kind of response would happen in any other major market. San Francisco is known for heart and soul and people coming out, and my goodness, this is demonstrating that.”
On the types of wishes that Make-A-Wish grants
“There’s five wish types: I wish to be. I wish to go, obviously, to Disney or to see their family. I wish to meet a celebrity. I wish to have — often a laptop computer or a backyard play set, because our kids have compromised immune systems so they can’t play at the park, so something in their own backyard is special. And the last wish is I wish to help — children who use their wish to make the world a better place.”
On Miles being a real superhero
“We’re going to present some opportunities for him to be a real superhero. And you know the real story here though — I think any child battling cancer really is a superhero, and this is just so sweet that we get to do something amazing and get people excited about our little superhero.”
Guest
- Patricia Wilson, executive director of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. She tweets @pilarwish.
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