Make-A-Wish celebrates the 10-year anniversary of Batkid wish

Miles Scott, whose transformational wish was granted in 2013, thrives today at age 15.

PHOENIX, Nov. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Ten years ago, the world watched in awe as a then-5-year-old Miles Scott transformed into Batkid and saved the city of San Francisco, thanks to Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area and the support and participation of many local partners and friends. Today, at age 15, Miles remains cancer free and enjoys teen life in his small town near the Oregon border.

After fighting his own heroic battle with leukemia since he was a year old, Miles visits his oncologist once a year, and has been in remission from leukemia for the past 10 years. Miles lives with his parents, Nick and Natalie; his younger brother Clayton (who was dressed as Robin on the day of his wish); and his youngest brother, Ben, who was born after his wish.

“To this day, Miles’ wish resonates in our collective consciousness as proof of the power of one child’s wish to transform an entire community and bring hope and joy that lasts a lifetime,” said Betsy Biern, CEO of Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. “Additionally, Make-A-Wish saw a marked increase in referrals following this wish, meaning more children with critical illnesses received life-changing wishes thanks to Batkid. And that’s truly heroic!”

Having once suited up to save the city, Miles now suits up to play football at his high school, where he enjoys the comradery of his teammates and coaches. For his wish, he was driven around in the Batmobile, and he now drives a tractor when helping out on the family farm. Miles no longer fits in the Batkid costume, but his brother Ben wore it last Halloween.

When asked what he might want to say to his fans out there, Miles said: “I’m doing amazing. I would love to just say like ‘yeah, I’m fine.’” Reflecting on his battle with cancer and his wish experience, he said: “I feel normal, but every time I think about it, it’s like, ‘Wow, that actually happened.’”

In the past few years, Natalie has become a volunteer wish granter for Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area and helps grant wishes for children who need them in Siskiyou County. “For Miles’ wish, I feel like it was the ending of a chapter in our family, so that we could move on and continue,” said Natalie. “I just wanted to be able to help other kids and their families have some sort of positive ending to their story or to start their new beginning.”

About Miles’ wish to be Batkid

On November 15, 2013, with the help of the late San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, the San Francisco Police and Fire Departments, the San Francisco Giants, and countless others, San Francisco transformed into Gotham for the day and thousands of people crowded the streets to cheer Miles on as he battled villains, thwarted crime, freed San Francisco Giants mascot Lou Seal and earned a key to the city. The San Francisco Chronicle produced a special edition of the newspaper that day, with a full front-page takeover dedicated to the wish and then-President Obama sent his very first Vine video message to Batkid with words of encouragement. The wish also inspired a full-length Warner Bros. documentary, Batkid Begins.