Let's Get "Batkid Begins" Funded and Relive Superhero, Miles Scott's Wish and Special Day Again and Again #BatkidBegins #CGC @BatkidBegins #Sponsored

Have you seen the new Batkid trailer that has been going around Facebook and other social media channels?  It first premiered at the San Diego Comic Con back on June 27th, and has since been shared like wildfire.  What is Batkid you ask?  Do you remember hearing about on the news or reading in the newspaper last year about a little 5 year boy named Miles Scott, who was battling leukemia cancer for most of her early life?  His one wish was to be a superhero for the day and help fight off the bad guys.  His favorite superhero of all time was Batman, so it was only fitting that his wish was to be Batkid.  And, thanks to the folks at the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area (they grant more than 300 wishes annually to children who have battled a life-threatening illness, just like Miles' wish), in addition to thousands of CA residents who came out to play extras and cheer this little superhero on, when Miles Scott (AKA Batkid) was able to take to the streets of San Francisco alongside Batman, to fight crime back on November 15, 2013.

About Batkid Begins:

"Batkid Begins follows the events leading up to the day Batkid saved San Francisco and what happens when an event goes unintentionally viral. The goal that day was to get a couple hundred people to show up to support Miles Scott and his wish to become Batkid, after battling leukemia for more than half his short life."

The thought was a crowd of 200 would seem huge to a five year old boy, but what happened next blew everyone's minds. Support for the idea of granting Miles’s wish kept pouring in and soon it was clear that the crowd would be much bigger than the modest expectations.

Instead of a few hundred, 25,000 people lined the streets to cheer Miles on as he saved Gotham. The superhero spirit spilled onto the Internet as news of Batkid’s heroics reached over 2 billion people, touching hearts around the world. 

Batkid was impossible to miss that day as we were glued to our computers, phones, and in San Francisco, our office windows trying to be a part of the celebration."

So, why a movie about Batkid you ask?

"Award-winning filmmaker Dana Nachman wanted to understand why this intense outpouring of spontaneous support for a five-year-old reverberated around the world. She reached out to the Make-a-Wish Foundation in San Francisco who gave her exclusive access to document this phenomenon. Now after months of interviewing the key players who made the day possible, Dana will leave the audiences to decide; did Miles need the world for inspiration? Or did the world need Miles?" 

With your help and the help of others through donations to this Indiegogo Campaign, Batkid Begins can be turned into a documentary film produced by KTF Films, and shared with the masses.  Not only will you be able to relive or see for the first time Miles' wish of being Batkid brought to life, but you will feel the love and support of thousands of total strangers who turned out to live the streets and cheer on Miles, as he helped make his dream a reality, while also finding inspiration themselves in his story and journey.  Truly a heartfelt story and one that should be made available for all to see time and again, as we need a reminder that while life throws us curve balls every now and again, we can't give up fighting, just as Miles didn't give up on his dreams, while battling leukemia.  Miles is a true superhero in my eyes, and his story will definitely make an impact on yours, too and make you re-evaluate your life and how you live it.

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I was at one of my three months follow up cancer appointments when I saw the news brief about this little boy.  I, along with the other patients and caregivers in the waiting room couldn't help but tear up as we saw Miles live out his dream of being a superhero.  If you have personally experienced cancer or have walked side by side with someone who has, then you know how much a cancer diagnosis can rock your world.  It turns it upside down, and leaves you wondering if you will be on the winning end of the battle, as you fight for your life, and deal with the crummy side effects of treatment.

As I sat in the waiting room waiting for my name to be called to have my 10 minutes exam with the doctor to be reassured that my cancer was still in remission, I couldn't help but think back to the children I had met during my cancer journey, and those I see whenever I return Dana Farber and the other Boston area hospitals to have tests and scans done.  My heart always hurts as I see these tiny souls having to fight for their life at such an early age.  They should be outside playing with their friends and enjoying life, instead of being holed up in a hospital room or having to deal with radiation and chemo treatments and their side effects.

Even though I battled cancer firsthand, I can't imagine what the parents of these young cancer patients are going through.  With kids of my own, I would never want to hear the words, "Your child has cancer."  My parents were by my side through my cancer journey, and I could see how much the treatments, tests and stays at the hospital took a toll on them -- and I was in my late 20's.  Having to go through it with a child is heart wrenching to say the least.  But, seeing videos like the one I saw that day int he waiting room, remind us how resilient children our and how they are pure souls.  Even with a life threatening cancer diagnosis, Miles saw the beauty in life, and lived his special "Make a Wish" day to the fullest, which you can see when he smiles all dressed up in his Batkid costume.

"Can’t get enough of Batkid? Lend your support and learn more about the exciting new Batkid Begins documentary here."

While I was not in CA cheering him on like those who had turned out for his special day, I did take a moment to pray for a healthy recovery so that he could experience the childhood he and so many other children are meant to have, and then be able to share this story with his own children one day. :-)

And, now almost a year after BatKid took to the streets of San Francisco to fight crime, his story and footage of that day are being turned into a movie for all to enjoy. But, if you know movies, you know how expensive they are to make.  This movie is no different, and as such an Indigo crowdfunding campaign has been set up to raise funds to bring the Batkid movie to the big screen.  As I write this post, the "Batkid Begins" Indiegogo Campaign is sitting at $58,905 USD raised of the $100,000 goal set.  With only 18 days left to raise the much needed funding for this non-profit campaign, I sure do hope the goal is met, as I and so many others really want to see this movie made.  While I know I will be crying from start to finish as I watch "Batkid Begins," I also know how this movie will not only help parents who are waging the battle against cancer or an illness with their child, as well as give hope and strength to other children battling cancer like Miles had, and remind them to not give up the fight.

If you haven't seen the "Batkid Begins' trailer, you can see it below.  I hope that once you are done watching it, that you will be moved to want to visit the Indiegogo Campaign page and donate to help made this dream movie a reality. You can choose to donate as little as $5 and receive a shout out in social media blasts, or give a generous donation of $50 and receive a DVD copy of the movie, the HD digital download, soundtrack and even have your names in the credit, as well as a social media shout-out! :-)

"Batkid Begins is a documentary film that takes you behind the scenes of the day Batkid saved Gotham."

To make Batkid Begins worthy of its superhero namesake, KTF Films is teaming up with big-name musicians, animators, and visual effects professionals, all working at reduced rates in the name of Batkid, and bringing the post-production price tag to $100,000.

** The proceeds of the film will go to the Batkid Fund, which will support San Francisco charities. **

To learn more about the Batkid Begins Indiegogo Campaign, or to donate today, visit http://clvr.li/1oXw0kk.  And, remember, there are only 18 days left for this campaign to be funded.  I so hope it does, and can't wait to own a DVD copy to share with my family, as we root Miles (AKA Batkid) on time and again! :-)  Note: The IndieGogo campaign will end on August 19, 2014 at 11:59pm PT


I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.