Middle school student Kaden Erickson of Jonesboro, Arkansas suffered from leukemia. One of his wishes was to travel to Australia. The Make-A-Wish Foundation made his wish come true. A 60 Minutes camera crew spent a year in Jonesboro to capture the kindness of Kaden’s community raising money for the then 12-year-old’s trip. The cameras also captured Kaden’s reaction to the news of his trip and followed him Down Under. Having undergone two painful bone marrow transplants, Kaden was excited, and grateful, and knew what the trip meant to his family.
60 Minutes will air its profile of the people behind the Make-A-Wish Foundation including volunteer Kendra Street on October 18 at 7:30pm. Street was diagnosed with cancer ten years ago and had her spirits lifted when Make-A-Wish arranged to have her meet her favorite baseball team, the Atlanta Braves. Now she’s paying it forward to children including Kaden. Note: On September 18, 2015, Kaden Erickson died. He was 13. Kaden is survived by his parents, John and Jeanne Erickson; brother, Konor Erickson; sisters, Kilee Erickson, Kasen Erickson, and Klara Erickson; maternal grandparents, Doyle and Phyllis Baugus; and paternal grandparents, Gerald and Brenda Erickson.
—To donate to Make-A-Wish, please click here.
