It is pretty amazing what the Make-A-Wish Foundation can do! Six year old Zachary’s wish was to meet Hellboy, and also to become Hellboy himself. It takes some creativity to fulfill a wish that involves a comic book character, but, they managed to make it come true. I love hearing happy stories like this one!
Zachary is six years old. He has been undergoing treatment for leukemia. According to the Mayo Clinic, leukemia “is cancer of the body’s blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system. Many types of leukemia exist. Some forms of leukemia are more common in children. Other forms of leukemia occur mostly in adults”. Treatment can involve chemotherapy, biological therapy, targeted therapy, radiation therapy, or a stem cell transplant.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation got started in 1980. Their mission is to enrich the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions through its wish-granting work. This is the group who makes amazing things happen for kids who have very serious illnesses. They help to bring children a little bit of happiness.
Zachary’s wish had two parts. He wanted to meet Hellboy, and he wanted to become Hellboy. Even though Zachary’s wish involved meeting a comic book character, which sounds impossible, Make-A-Wish was able to make that wish come true.
The movie “Hellboy” was released in 2004. It was based off of a comic book of the same name. The character of Hellboy is actually a demon who grows up to become a defender against the forces of darkness. Once could say that Hellboy is an unlikely superhero, of sorts.
The character of Hellboy was played by actor Ron Perlman. He agreed to go through the four hour process of makeup application that is required to transform him into Hellboy, and to go meet with Zachary. There is a Facebook page that shows photos of the adorable, pint-sized, Zachary hanging out with the huge, red, demon. The boy is all smiles!
A lunch of burgers, shakes, and fries was ordered for Zachary, Hellboy, Zachary’s family, and the crew of Spectral Motion to enjoy. Spectral is the group that did the makeup on Ron Perlman so that he could become Hellboy. They also spent some time transforming Zachary into Hellboy. I think it is awesome that Make-A-Wish was able to grant such an unusual wish. It is clear from the Facebook photos that Zachary was absolutely delighted!
Image by gracewells533 on Flickr
