This past weekend, the world lost a hero in the form of a fourth grade boy battling cancer — just one week after a parade was held in his honor.
Nine-year-old Parth Patel’s parade was held on Oct. 19. His favorite superhero characters filled the procession from start to finish. Patel even got to ride with Batman in his very own “Bat Mobile.”
For the nine-year-old, the day started off like any other. That’s when Patel heard a knock at the door. He was greeted by a policeman — behind him was a sea of other men and women in uniform, waiting for the boy to join his parade.
Patel’s school even threw a pizza party where he was presented with a key to the city.
According to the local ABC News station, WABC, “There wasn’t enough Kleenex for all of the adults, tears and prayers for his health, and tears of happiness because Parth was so happy. There was a lot of gratitude for all the hard work that made this magical day possible.”
Patel’s special day was spearheaded by The Marty Lyons Foundation, a New York based non-profit that “fulfills the special wishes of children aged three to seventeen years old who have been diagnosed as having a terminal or life threatening illness,” their website explains.