HEBRON, Ky. — Having a child facing a critical illness is something no parent wants to experience, but it’s the reality for many. For those brave kids, it can sometimes be hard to stay positive.
On Wednesday, a few of those kids got the unique experience of seeing how hundreds of thousands of packages are delivered all around the world as the Amazon Air Hub (KCVG) in northern Kentucky tried to deliver some hope.
To help raise awareness of childhood critical illnesses, Amazon hosted a handful of kids from Make-a-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, and their families, for its "surprise and delight" KCVG.
The kids, who’ve shown a love for aviation, were honorary pilots for the day as they went through an exclusive tour of the campus to see the journey a package takes from there to their doorstep.
That happens a lot at Ella Ellison’s house, so she was excited, to say the least.
“I’m a frequent Amazon user. I get a package, probably, every day,” she said. “I couldn’t believe I was invited to come over here and do this.”
When her mom Caroline got the invite last week, it took very little time to accept.
“These kids go through so much that you don’t want kids to have to go through. So when something special happens or comes up, we jump on it,” she said.
Stephanie McCormick, president and CEO of Make-a-Wish Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana, has seen a lot of kids’ wishes come true in her time, but coming to Amazon was a first.
“This has never happened before for us. So our wish kids are getting an experience of a lifetime,” McCormick said. “It’s definitely a boost, not just for them, but their siblings and their family. For a moment in time, they’re not that sick little kid.”
KCVG Operations Manager Erick Petersen spearheaded the collaboration. As a Make-a-Wish dad himself to his daughter Eleanor, this particular community event meant a lot to him.
“She wasn’t expected to live past probably her first month or two of life. But she’s going on four now, so we’re really proud of her. She’s kind of writing her own story,” Petersen said. “It’s an amazing experience. It is close to my heart. It’s all about building as many memories as possible. And just having opportunities they may not have later on.”
Eventually, Ellison made her way up to the cockpit of a Prime plane, which she said was a surreal experience.
“I never thought I’d be sitting in front of an airplane, especially this young. This is crazy,” she said.
Jerry Harcourt said his son Jesse had been looking forward to the day since he first heard about it.
“He’s into this stuff. He loves planes,” Harcourt said. “They go through so much. It really helps these kids out to make them feel good about themselves instead of feeling down all the time.”
Activities culminated with Amazon presenting a $50,000 donation to Make-a-Wish, which will go toward making for kids wishes come true.
Seemingly, it was just the start of a great partnership.