Wish comes true for six-year-old Lexington boy who survived leukemia

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) –After battling an acute form of leukemia, six-year-old Daniel Teague is having his wish to become an astronaut come true through Make-A-Wish South Carolina and Aflac.

According to Daniel Teague’s parents Brannon and Brian, Daniel has always loved everything about space.

But Daniel was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia two years ago.

Now, his parents say Daniel is in remission and will get to ring the bell in just a few weeks, symbolizing the end of Daniel’s battle with cancer.

“He’s done! I don’t know what else to say. It’s been a long two years. And it’s been trying, emotionally and physically. And to finally say that we’re done is on so many levels — wonderful,” says Daniel’s mother Brannon.

Thanks to Make-a-Wish South Carolina and their corporate partner, Aflac, Daniel found out he and his family will head to the Kennedy Space Center at the end of August so he can learn how to be an astronaut.

To make the day even more exciting for Daniel, retired South Carolina Astronaut Charles “Charlie” Duke delivered the good news through a special video.

“Just to see the huge outpouring of generosity for our family. It’s…there are no words… to see how caring other people are,” says Daniel’s father Brian.

Amanda Osborne, Vice President of Mission Advancement with Make-A-Wish South Carolina, says research shows making wishes come true is more than just a nice thing to do.

“We’ve got some great research that shows that a wish is necessary. It improves the mental and physical health outcomes for a child. It improves their compliance with medical treatments and it gives them a much better outlook,” says Osborne.

Bob Ruff with Aflac says being a father of four himself, Daniel’s story hits close to home.

“We are very philanthropic in nature, our employees love to be involved, and so being able to fulfill this for Daniel, his family, to see a smile on his face — it means the world,” Ruff says.