Sacramento Boy's Dream Of 10,000 Model Airplanes For His Birthday A Welcome Distraction
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A Sacramento boy's birthday wish is helping his family's spirits fly high as his mother battles a rare form of cancer.
Caleb Yao is a brave 6-year-old. He's small, but not afraid to take control.
But his family's lives have been spiraling out of control as his mom suffers from brain and bone cancer.
"Breast cancer free for about five years until two years ago," said his dad Hans Yao.
Despite years of grueling medical procedures, the Yaos try to maintain a somewhat normal life. But last month in the middle of that fragile normalcy, Caleb made an abnormal request.
"It's one of those things that it's so ridiculous I didn't think about it," Hans Yao said.
He wanted 10,000 model airplanes for his sixth birthday.
"Who can possibly conceive of 10-thousand model airplanes?" Hans Yao said.
Caleb loves to fly because his dad does it for a living for Southwest Airlines. His dad mentioned Caleb's birthday request in a Facebook post, and to his surprise, boxes started showing up.
And there were 60, 70 boxes on our front door that UPS had delivered and I just started laughing," Karen Yao said. "We still get one or two boxes a week."
Hans learned dozens of fellow Southwest employees he's yet to meet wanted to show his family some love.
"I don't see it happening in any other company except Southwest," Hans Yao said.
This compassion is nothing new. Over the years, anonymous employees have pitched in to help pay their massive medical bills.
"When it's your turn to feel the love its overwhelming," he said.
Even though the Yaos are running out of model airplane space, their hearts will always have room for the strangers who keep these boxes flying in and give them a chance to forget about cancer for a time.
They say they have over 9,000 planes at their home, meaning it's less than 1,000 left to Caleb's dream.
