‘Batkid’ fighting cancer captures hearts, saves San Francisco
San Francisco, grappling with the exploits of the Riddler and the Penguin, will call upon a pint-sized crusader: Miles, a 5-year-old cancer-stricken boy, a.k.a. Batkid.
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- Crowds gather in front of a former bank vault waiting for 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid gives a thumbs up as he exits his cave at Union Square November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Police escorts 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid as he exits his cave at Union Square November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Police escorts 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid as he exits his cave at Union Square November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid exits his cave at Union Square November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid exits his cave at Union Square November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Police escorts 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid and Batman after they arrest the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Police escorts 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid and Batman after they arrest the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid and Batman leave a former bank after arresting the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid leaves in his Batmobile after arresting the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- A San Francisco police officer on bike escorts 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid after arresting the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- San Francisco police officers arrest the Riddler with the help of 5-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid runs into a former bank vault to arrest the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, also known as BatKid and Batman arrive at former bank vault to arrest the Riddler November 15, 2013 in San Francisco. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area foundation turned the city into Gotham City for Miles by creating a day long event bringing his wish to be a BatKid to life. (Ramin Talaie/Getty Images)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, dressed as “Batkid”, arrives with Batman to rescue a “woman in distress” as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Robert Galbraith/REUTERS)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles dressed as “Batkid” arrives with a man dressed as Batman to rescue a woman in distress as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Robert Galbraith/REUTERS)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles dressed as “Batkid” and a man dressed as Batman leave a bank after they apprehended the “Riddler” as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/REUTERS)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles dressed as “Batkid” and a man dressed as Batman are escorted by police officers back to their Batmobile after they apprehended the “Riddler” as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/REUTERS)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles dressed as “Batkid” smiles as he sits in the Batmobile after apprehending the “Riddler” as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/REUTERS)
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- Kayla Fry holds a sign as she waits to see five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, aka “Batkid”, as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. Miles will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Robert Galbraith/REUTERS)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles dressed as “Batkid” is hugged after rescuing a woman in distress as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Robert Galbraith/REUTERS)
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- Fans of five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles, aka “Batkid”, hold signs as part of a day arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor will be treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/REUTERS)
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- An actor portraying The Penguin awaits the arrival of five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott, aka “Batkid”, at AT&T Park as part of a day arranged by the Make- A – Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor was treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)
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- The Penguin holds the San Francisco Giants mascot Lou Seal captive as they wait for the arrival of five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott, aka “Batkid” as part of a day arranged by the Make- A – Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor was treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)
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- Fans of five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott, aka “Batkid” take pictures at San Francisco City Hall during a ceremony arranged by the Make- A – Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor was treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott, dressed as “Batkid” receive a key to the city declaring him “Junior Mayor” from San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee (L) during a ceremony as part of a day arranged by the Make- A – Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor was treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott, dressed as “Batkid” waves to crowd on the shoulders of Batman during a ceremony as part of a day arranged by the Make- A – Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. Miles brother Clayton (R) sits on the shoulders of his father Nick (R). The young cancer survivor was treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters)
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- A sign is seen on a police motorcycle used during a day of events for five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott, aka “Batkid” at San Francisco City Hall during a ceremony arranged by the Make- A – Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor was treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Stephen Lam/Reuters)
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- Five-year-old leukemia survivor Miles Scott, dressed as “Batkid” high fives with San Francisco Fire Department chief Joanne Hayes-White (R) as with police chief Greg Suhr (C) watches during a ceremony as part of a day arranged by the Make- A – Wish Foundation in San Francisco, California November 15, 2013. The young cancer survivor was treated to various super hero scenarios including receiving a commendation at San Francisco City Hall. (Robert Galbraith/Reuters)
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- John Ewing waits outside of City Hall for the Batkid, Miles Scott, 5, to make an appearance at a rally in San Francisco on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. Miles is a leukemia survivor from Tulelake in Siskiyou County, Calif. After battling leukemia since he was a year old, Miles is now in remission. One of his heroes is Batman, so to celebrate the end of his treatment, the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area granted his wish to become Batkid for a day. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group/MCT)
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- A crowds cheer for Batkid, Miles Scott, 5, as he arrives at City Hall in San Francisco on Friday, Nov. 15, 2013. Miles is a leukemia survivor from Tulelake in Siskiyou County, Calif. After battling leukemia since he was a year old, Miles is now in remission. One of his heroes is Batman, so to celebrate the end of his treatment, the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area granted his wish to become Batkid for a day. (Gary Reyes/Bay Area News Group/MCT)
What started out as Miles’ wish to be Batman has turned into an all-out extravaganza in San Francisco as word spread and thousands of people volunteered to pitch in and help transform the bayside metropolis into Gotham City.
Coordinated by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the effort included Miles’ own Batmobile, a personal call from Police Chief Greg Suhr for help, the apprehension of the Riddler and then a flash mob involving hundreds of people in Union Square alerting Batkid to the fact that Penguin has kidnapped Lou Seal, the San Francisco Giants mascot.
All of these exploits were kicked off by a live television news bulletin carried by KGO-TV and covered in the “Gotham City Chronicle,” 1,000 copies of which were printed by the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday, the top A1 story penned by — who else? — Clark Kent.
Miles’ cancer is in remission, and with the last of his chemotherapy in June, “he wanted to be Batman,” Patricia Wilson, the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Bay Area executive director, told the paper.
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