By Police1 Staff
DALLAS — After a terminally ill 7-year-old had a dying wish to meet his hero, Iron Man, one Texas cop flew to Florida to make the wish come true, FOX 4 reported.
Fort Worth Officer Damon Cole met with 7-year-old Cole St. Clair, who was terminally ill with a brain tumor, in Orlando. A day later, the boy died.
“It is heartbreaking,” Officer Cole told the publication. “Me and his dad had a long talk on the way to the airport. I can’t even comprehend what a parent goes through.”
Cole learned of St. Clair after friends had posted on Facebook the boy’s desire to meet his hero. Cole got special permission from the Fort Worth Police Department to take a day off to fly and see St. Clair.
“I said I’m no Robert Downey Jr. but I’ll definitely do what I can to make his dream come true,” he said.
Cole was going to pay for his own fair, but Southwest Airlines treated the officer to a free ride.
Cole has a history of making children smile with his organization Heroes and Cops against Childhood Cancer. He hopes he can help ease some of their emotional pain, even for a few minutes.
“People love to call me the hero. In reality, I’m not the hero,” he said. “It’s these kids and these parents that support these kids that go through such hard times and get up every day and decide to keep fighting. Those are the heroes.”