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Thunderbirds brighten day for special needs kids

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Timothy Boyer
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds made the day for a group of special-needs and Make-A-Wish Foundation children July 29 on the Travis flightline during their practice performance and meet-and-greet.

The Thunderbirds performed a practice show for the children followed by an opportunity for them to meet the pilots and staff for autographs and pictures.

"This is one of the best parts of our job," said Capt. Thomas Bowden, Thunderbird #9 flight surgeon. "We get to do Make-A-Wish nearly every stop and we love getting to meet the kids."

Among the attendees was Dana Sones, wife of Col. Dwight Sones, incoming 60th Air Mobility Wing commander, and her 10-year-old daughter Karina, who has been in remission from leukemia for almost five years.

In addition to feeling sick, the side-effects of her medication force Karina to feel isolated, said Mrs. Sones.

"It's such a blessing to see that she is able to physically be out here and to mentally comprehend it," she said. "These kinds of events are precious opportunities that allow these kids to feel like everybody else - to escape the pain and fear of going to the hospital."

Ruby Grandy, a 5-year-old leukemia survivor, was another attendee.
"It was fun," she said as she ran around the parking ramp pretending to fly her toy airplane.

Ruby has had chemotherapy, a drug treatment that can be harsh on the patient, every day for the past two-and-a-half years, said Mars Stone, Ruby's mother, who was with her for the show.

The cancer treatment is working, and Ruby had her last chemotherapy session Thursday, said Mrs. Stone. Ruby is now in remission and recovering from the effects of the treatments she has had to take.

Karina received a bone-marrow transplant that proved to be her cure and is also recovering from the effects of the treatments she received. Both girls are progressively improving.

Mrs. Stone said her daughter's eyes lit up when she met the pilots.

"We got to go to Disneyland, but this was way cooler," she said.

The event was supported with snacks, beverages and volunteers by the Special Needs Task Force and Travis Airmen. For more information on the task force visit www.Travisspecialneeds.com. For more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation visit www.wish.com.