Story at a glance
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Exactly one decade ago, 5-year-old Miles Scott transformed into "Batkid," saved the city of San Francisco through Make-A-Wish, and endeared countless news viewers.
Miles’ wish happened on November 15, 2013. With help from then-Mayor Ed Lee, the police and fire departments, the San Francisco Giants, and countless others, San Francisco transformed into Gotham and more than 25,000 people crowded the streets to cheer Miles on. He battled villains, thwarted crime, freed San Francisco Giants mascot Lou Seal, and earned a key to the city.
His story was so heart-warming, Warner Bros. Pictures turned it into a film, "Batkid Begins." Released in 2015, the documentary follows Patricia Wilson, the executive director of the San Francisco Make-A-Wish chapter, and her team as they work to ensure Miles' day goes according to plan. It won three awards, according to IMDb.
Today, Miles is 15, playing football and living a happy life with his family in a small Oregon town, according to Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. He lives with his parents, Nick and Natalie; his younger brother Clayton (who was dressed as Robin on the day of his wish); and his youngest brother, Ben, who was born after his wish.
And the best part? He remains cancer-free.
"After fighting his own heroic battle with leukemia since he was a year old, Miles visits his oncologist once a year, and has been in remission from leukemia for the past 10 years," Make-A-Wish wrote.
Miles said, "I’m doing amazing. I would love to just say like 'yeah, I’m fine.'" Reflecting on his battle with cancer and his wish experience, he said: “I feel normal, but every time I think about it, it’s like, 'Wow, that actually happened.'"
"To this day, Miles’ wish resonates in our collective consciousness as proof of the power of one child’s wish to transform an entire community and bring hope and joy that lasts a lifetime,” said Betsy Biern, CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. "Additionally, Make-A-Wish saw a marked increase in referrals following this wish, meaning more children with critical illnesses received life-changing wishes thanks to Batkid. And that’s truly heroic."
Miles no longer fits in the Batkid costume, but his younger brother wore it last Halloween.
His mom, Natalie, has become a volunteer wish granter for Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area and helps grant wishes for children. She said, "I just wanted to be able to help other kids and their families have some sort of positive ending to their story, or to start their new beginning."
Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Since 1984, the nonprofit has granted more than 9,000 wishes in its territory from Monterey County to the Oregon border. "Make-A-Wish aims to bring the power of wishing to every child with a critical illness because wish experiences can help improve emotional and physical health," the nonprofit wrote.