BELDING, Mich. – A surprise for a young man from Belding took flight Thursday, when the community and then Allegiant Air paid for his upcoming Florida visit.
If you’re not already familiar with James Miller, 27, you will usually meet him with a smile, greeting people and others driving by near home.
“He’s had two kidney transplants,” said Mary Curler, James’ mother. “He’s been through quite a bit. He’s worth it,” she said turning to James Thursday, who smiled and lit up the room.
Always joyful living with Down's Syndrome, James inspires those near and far. And when some close friends in Florida were hopeful for a visit, they started a GoFundMe page to help James make his first trip out of state.
That fundraiser caught the community’s attention, including those at Gerald R. Ford International Airport. Then Wednesday night Curler told FOX 17 she got a call.
“At the last minute [my friend] said, ‘you’ve got to be at the city hall at 2:30 p.m.’ I said,
‘what for?’ And he goes, ‘just be there,’” Curler recalled, sparking laughter in a conference room at Belding City Hall.
And then inside that room, James sat alongside his mother, grandmothers, and other family in anticipation. Just then, that’s when his surprise took flight.
“We heard about your story and I know that you raised all the funds for your GoFundMe and you got $2,000 to go to Florida to go to Disney World,” said Tara Hernandez, Gerald R. Ford International Airport communications director. “But what we are doing is taking care of your airline tickets,” she said, handing James a three-foot voucher.
First, James says he and his mom will have dinner with Mickey at Disney World. Then, it will be onto the roller coasters and more amusement parks.
“All the theme parks, [our friend] wants to take James because James likes riding roller coasters,” Curler said to James smiling and laughing.
And before James takes his mom to Florida at the end of the year, you can find him in Belding, greeting people with a smile, helping them along their way.