When Aiden Lescher took to Bellevue’s streets on June 17, he wasn’t a kindergartner, a boy with a heart defect or a kid in and out of hospitals — he was a superhero out to save the day.
Lescher, 5, suffers from hypo-plastic left heart syndrome, meaning that his blood does not flow normally through his heart. Instead of being born with four chambers, his heart has two. He tires easily and is currently on a waiting list for a heart transplant, his mom said.
“It’s been hard, but we have so much support. It’s scary [waiting for a transplant], but we’re ready,” Aiden’s mom, Elsa Lescher, told the Reporter.
With all of the trials Aiden has undergone since his condition was detected in utero, it didn’t surprise her when, for his Make-A-Wish request, he chose to be someone completely different.
“He loves superheroes and the police. He really likes the whole crime fighting idea and he always watched old Batman movies with grandma and grandpa while I was at work,” Elsa said.
When evil villain Dr. White Winter threatened to turn Bellevue into a wintry tundra, Aiden turned into “Justice Boy” and saved the day.
Citizens called for Justice Boy’s help when Dr. White Winter unleashed his wrath on people in Bellevue’s Downtown Park, freezing them in place. Due to his special powers, Justice Boy was able to unfreeze the victims. Dr. White Winter narrowly escaped.
With the help of the Bellevue Police Department, Justice Boy was able to track the villain to his evil lair at Insight Global’s headquarters. All of the company’s employees had been frozen and Dr. White Winter was finishing up a potion that would freeze the city for good. Justice Boy jumped into action and apprehended Dr. White Winter, preventing him from turning Bellevue into an arctic expanse.
Aiden’s day as Justice Boy came to life with the help of several local organizations.
The Seattle Children’s Theater created the costumes and a local company printed a special 3-D badge for Aiden to wear. Weatherman Seth Wayne starred in a video showing Dr. White Winter’s descent on Bellevue.
“This whole day literally took a village to create,” said Mackenzie Sipiora of Make-A-Wish.
The organizers at Make-A-Wish created the plot and script for Justice Boy’s adventure with the Bellevue Police Department. They worked in stops to accommodate Aiden’s illness and age (to date, he is Make-A-Wish of Alaska and Washington’s youngest superhero — a popular wish for kids in the last few years).
The department has been working with Make-A-Wish since the early 1980s, so they quickly answered the organization’s call. Officers eagerly took part in the day, helping Aiden solve clues and chauffeuring him around the city, although his illness was in the back of their minds.
“We deal with a lot of stuff, but this is the toughest part of the job right here,” said officer Tory Mangione.
