
A Southwest Airlines crew touchingly honored a 2-year-old “hero” passenger with a heartwarming pre-flight announcement during his final journey home from New York after grueling cancer treatments.
The boy, only identified by the name Cruz, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma last year, and he and his parents had been traveling on the airline back and forth from their home in San Diego, Calif., to New York for treatment for him, according to NBC News.
On Cruz’s final flight home after he was declared cancer-free in March, the attendants on the plane took a moment to address “a very special passenger on board.”
“We have a young hero named Cruz, who is 2 years old. He has been battling a very rare form of cancer. He is now officially cancer-free!” one of the flight attendants announced over the speakers, according to a video shared by Southwest.
Cruz looked between his parents as he slowly realized the praise was for him.
“We are so honored to be able to fly you home. We’re so very proud of you. You’re very strong and brave,” the attendant told the child.
Cruz’s parents told NBC News that “the emotions kind of all hit” when the cabin erupted in applause.

“[Cruz] felt recognized. He was excited,” his father said.
His mother added, “He even said, ‘I’m strong. They’re talking about me — I’m strong.’ ”
The crew also separately asked passengers to write “words of encouragement” for Cruz.
Dozens of travelers, all total strangers to Cruz, scrawled their congratulations on napkins, which were collected and gifted to the toddler.
“Congratulations on such a hard battle won! You must be incredibly brave & strong – your parents too. I wish you all the best & happiest things in life and the peace of healing!” one person wrote.
Others decorated their notes with cartoons of stick figures, shooting stars and Mickey Mouse.
Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in children under the age of 5, according to the American Cancer Society. The cancer develops in the early nerve cells, or neuroblasts, in the sympathetic nervous system.
High-risk neuroblastoma cases have an estimated 50% five-year survival rate, according to the Mayo Clinic.
News
Husband’s Fate Hangs in Balance – Cops Face Crucial Call in Lynette Hooker’s Vanishing at Sea as Criminal Probe Intensifies
The husband of missing American mom Lynette Hooker is in an “extremely fragile state” while holed up in Bahamian custody, according…
She Feared Sailing With Him: Missing Woman’s Chilling Texts to Friend Reveal Terror of Being Alone at Sea With Ex-Husband
Missing American boater Lynette Hooker had previously split with her husband in the years before he became a suspect in…
Stolen at 17 from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago: Virginia Giuffre’s Family Drops Bombshell Audio Exposing Epstein’s Chilling Kidnapping
In the glittering halls of Mar-a-Lago, the exclusive Palm Beach resort owned by Donald Trump, a 17-year-old girl named Virginia…
G.u.n That Killed Grandpa Farmer Found Just 4km Away – Killer’s Fingerprints Still Intact in Shocking Twist!
In a chilling development that has rocked the quiet rural town of Ouyen in Victoria’s north-west, police have made a…
SHOCKING TWIST: Woman’s Hair Found at Murder Scene of Farmer Richard Wills – DNA Bombshell Explodes the Case Overnight!
In a quiet rural town in Victoria, Australia, what began as a routine Easter Sunday morning has spiraled into one…
From a Park Bench to Hero: Homeless Ex-Con Saves Lost 6-Year-Old Wandering Miami Streets at Midnight
A homeless ex-con rescued a lost child he spotted wandering through the streets of Miami late Wednesday night — earning…
End of content
No more pages to load




