My husband and I took our son Christopher on a flight from Seattle to Los Angeles. My step-son Christopher had Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy. When we boarded the plane in Seattle, a very nice pilot by the name of Gary, asked us if we wanted to show Christopher the cockpit. My husband carried him in for a look around. Chris was fifteen years old at the time. His face just lit up, and he told us that when he became well he wanted to become a pilot. It made me cry.
The flight was wonderful and the entire crew was just great to Chris. When we landed, Gary asked us if he could have our address so he could send Chris a card. Chris was so excited that this kind man wanted to write to him. Several weeks later Chris received a card in the mail. It was from Gary, inside was a beautiful card and attached to it was a pair of wings. He told Chris that he had earned them while he was in the service and wanted Chris to have them. We put the wings on Chris and he just did not want to take them off. After that all he did was talk about the pilot that sent him a pair if wings, he even took them to school to show his friends.
About three months later Chris had his sixteenth birthday. That Saturday there came knock on the door. It was the pilot that sent him the wings. He wanted to see how Chris was doing. He had a surprise for Chris; he brought him one of his old pilot jackets that he also wore in the service. Chris was just beside himself and of course I cried. We immediately put the wings on the jacket and took some pictures of Chris wearing his new flight jacket. I have never seen him so excited. Gary told us that he lived in Fontana and was on his way to LA for a flight and wanted to see Chris.
