FOR as long as Darian Naicker has remembered, the gravitational pull of space and the millions of stars dominating our night sky like little gas lamps have been a source of constant wonderment to him. His dream is to one day become an astronaut. The 10-year-old who suffers from nephrotic kidney disease was recently treated to a day out at the Durban Aviation Centre (DAC) at Virginia Aiport.
Darian was given his own pilots clothes, complete with epaulettes and a headset and used a flight simulator to get his first taste of soaring the skies. If that wasn’t enough he was also treated to a flight from Virginia to the Durban harbour and back. His visit was made possible by the Reach For A Dream (RFAD) foundation, an organisation that brings joy to the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses.
“I was really excited. My mom and dad kept all of this a secret and this is a dream come true. I’ve never been in the cockpit of a plane and it’s awesome,” Darian said.
Denise Towell, from RFAD said Darian had a great day out.
“We believe in the power of dreams. We encourage children to use their dreams to fight life-threatening illnesses. And we seek as far as possible to make dreams come true. Of course a trip to space wasn’t possible but we thought the next best thing was to be a pilot for a day,” Towell said.
John Sargood, DAC chief flying instructor said it was an honour and privilege for the aviation company to host Darian.
“To see the excitement and wonder in his eyes is an inspiration to us all. We tried to make the day as authentic as possible and we are glad we were able to give Darian a taste of flying,” he said.
At the end of visit Reach For A Dream presented a PS4 to Darian in acknowledgment of his strength and zeal for life against all the odds.
