Terminally Ill Teen with Down Syndrome Becomes 1st Special Needs Flight Attendant for AA
American Airlines has gone above and beyond to make one deserving girl’s dream come true.
Shantell “Princess” Pooser is terminally ill and has Down syndrome, according to WISTV.
Pooser is fighting an inoperable series of terminal airway defects.
The teen’s mother, Deanna Miller Berry explained that the illness is known as laryngomalacia, tracheomalacia, and tracheobronchial malacia.
The illness makes it difficult for her breathe, obstructing 87 percent of her airways. This requires her to travel to from South Carolina to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio quite frequently.
But it was during those flights that Pooser found a love of flying and wanted to become a flight attendant.
“So far, we’ve been on over 57 flights. That’s including the connecting flights, as well, too,” Berry said. “She saw the flight attendant, and she was like, ‘Mommy, I want to be a flight attendant.’”
When a pilot found out about Pooser’s dream, American Airlines responded and made her a flight attendant for her 17th birthday at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.
Every time that Pooser flies, she now gets to perform her flight attendant duties by providing the safety instructions to all the passengers aboard her flight.
American Airlines has become Pooser’s family and provided her a uniform and badge to make her role as a flight attendant official. Her new role also makes her the airline’s first flight attendant with special needs and a terminal illness.
For Pooser, it has truly been a dream come true.
THIS WEEKEND: @AmericanAir inducts its FIRST flight attendant with special needs & a terminal illness fulfilling a dream “Princess” never thought she’d live to see: https://t.co/a3o5EKoB9Q @wis10 @CAEAirport
— Emily Scarlett (@ScarlettWISTV) October 14, 2018
The Saving Shannie Foundation commented on the news saying, “Thank you @AmericanAir for all that you did to make Shannie’s dream to be a flight attendant a reality we all got the chance to witness.”
American Airlines responded saying “Congratulations, Shannie! We’re proud to have her as part of the #fAAmily and are looking forward to sharing the skies with her.”
Being a flight attendant is one thing that Pooser was finally able to check off her bucket list. According to CBS, her bucket list also includes dancing on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ and arriving at her junior prom via hot air balloon.
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