Batman returned to fulfil a wish, not on screen but off screen.
Christian Bale who played Batman in Nolan's "Batman" franchise made a dream come true for a five-year-old, Jayden Barber. He was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. The kid wanted to meet the "real Batman."
Barber was diagnosed with cancer in his right arm and with chemotherapy treatment the cancer went to a remission. But the cancer returned.
Doctors have given up hope and said the boy might not live for more than eight months. Barber's parents wanted to make his final weeks as cheerful as possible. The young boy was bedridden for his final six months.
They wanted to fulfill his wishes. He wanted a puppy, they got him one. He wanted to go on a vacation to the beach, they took him. But there was one request that was a little more difficult. Barber wanted to meet Batman, his favorite character.
The people of Youngstown, Ohio pitched in and created a Facebook page named "Lighting the Batsignal for Jayden." It had over 30,000 supporters.
The plan worked.
Bale secretly invited the family to an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles that covered air fare for seven people, a suite at Grand Californian, a $500 gift store account, "Batman Live" stage performance and lunch at Disney Club 33.
But most importantly, Barber got a chance to meet Bale. The two talked about costumes, movies and the kid even asked why his voice differed from one movie to the next.
"We were treated like royalty, and it was all because of Christian," said Barber's dad.
But they had to keep it all a secret. When the family returned, they'd arranged for Barber to have a ride in Bat Mobile and light the Bat Signal with thousands cheering. There were people dressed in superheroes costumes.
Barber's recent tests have shown that his cancer was in remission, but parents are cautiously optimistic.
