Make a wish at airport for aviation enthusiast recovered from leukemia

For travellers, the Hong Kong International Airport is a gateway to their next destination. But a non-profit organisation has turned it into a place where dreams come true for a patient who was diagnosed with leukemia at 14 years old but has set sights on joining the aviation industry since childhood. TVB News spoke with the beneficiary as well as representatives from the Airport Authority and the charity.

Hands on the controls of a flight simulator, 20-year-old Forest takes her seat in a mock cockpit, carefully following instructions from professionals at the Hong Kong International Aviation Academy as she experiences what it's like to command an aircraft.

The aviation enthusiast is given exclusive access to areas rarely seen by the public including the baggage handling hall while seeing flight movement in real time.

Diagnosed with leukemia in 2020, Forest recovered from the ailment in 2023. Now studying aviation at HKU's School of Professional and Continuing Education, she says the airport has long inspired her dream career.

FOREST, Beneficiary, Make A Wish HK: "When I was little, I always go travel with my parents and I begin to notice about the operations in the airport. Those operations are very interesting, I started to keep it in mind."

ADRIAN CHEUNG,Director of Corporate Affairs, Aviation Authority HK: "Inside the control centre, Forest on site, witnesses how we work together as a team. Leveraging different technologies, serving passengers. From the moment they landed in Hong Kong to the moment they collect their baggage. and then take different transport to different parts of the town. This is a very integrated process, a lot of team work goes into it. I hope that this will impress Forest today, that at the airport, there are different career opportunities and it is a big team."

MADELINE KAM, Executive Manager, Make A Wish HK: "Forest has gone through so many painful treatments and all the complications. Granting a wish today not only is celebration of her recovery, but is also an empowerment, (giving) them the strength that they need to fight the illness."

In 2026, Make A Wish Hong Kong aims to fullfil the dreams of around 130 young patients with critical illnesses.