Charity flight helps kids track down Santa in North Pole skies

Mohd Faris Abdulwahab, an eight-year-old with brittle-bone disease, gave Air Transat pilot Pierre Bergeron a high-five Tuesday just moments before takeoff to the North Pole.

On a flight to track down Santa Claus with 100 other kids and their families dealing with life-threatening illnesses, the plucky boy from Burnaby, who uses a walker, knew what to look for.

“The pilot said, ‘We’re looking for Santa,’” he said just before takeoff at Vancouver airport.

“I said: ‘He should be easy to see. He’s wearing a big red suit and has a big tummy and a sled with lots of reindeer.’”

And so the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada flight began with Air Transat staff volunteering their time to help sing Christmas carols and hand out gifts to the kids and their families so they can forget about their problems for an afternoon of fun in the air.

Mom Naizatul Liza Mohdhatta said her son was on cloud nine knowing Santa was on the plane’s radar.

Her son visits B.C. Children’s Hospital every three months and she said he never complains despite being limited to either a wheelchair or a walker.

“He’s a very positive, happy boy,” she said.

“We feel so lucky to be here.”

This is the seventh year Air Transat has flown to the north looking for Santa. Besides giving the kids the free flight, the airline donated $780,000 toward the Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada.

Santa was eventually spotted and made a guest appearance with Mrs. Claus on the flight as it cruised above Prince George.

Amber Dyce, the B.C and Yukon chapter director of the Children’s Wish Foundation, said the day’s fun is part of their bigger program of providing a special trip or gift to kids with life-threatening illnesses.

And, she points out, the day is a chance for families who face similar circumstances to meet and network.

The donated money, she points out, helps give the foundation the cash flow to send kids who are dealing with significant medical issues to places like Disneyland or Hawaii.

“That money is significant – it helps us grant a lot of wishes across the country,” she said.

Among those on the flight was Lana Bradshaw, 33, who sits on the B.C. advisory board of the Children’s Wish Foundation.

Born with a life-threatening congenital heart defect, Bradshaw, who now has a pacemaker and lives a normal, active life, was once a recipient of the Children’s Wish program.

She tells worried parents that she is living proof that things will get better.

“I have had multiple surgeries,” she said.

She points out that they make sure the entire family is included on the trip to find Santa.

“No one is excluded,” she said. “This is our biggest event of the year.”