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Adam King has spent years dreaming big dreams and watching the International Space Station fly over his home as he gazes at the stars through a telescope with his older brother.
or when he woke up to the news that former commander Chris Hadfield had come over in his sleep to invite him into a “conversation space,” his excitement turned stratospheric.
“He was shocked,” said his father David King. “He was jumping up and down on the bed. I heard it last night and couldn’t sleep afterward. I told him first.”
The six-year-old from Killeagh, Co Cork, stole the hearts of the nation when he appeared on RTÉ’s Late Late Toy Show with his ‘virtual hug’ and his plans to one day command a space mission with NASA.
David says his dream “is part of a larger narrative in our home” with the help of his older brother.
“We have a telescope and we are fortunate enough to be at a latitude where we can often see the International Space Station traveling over our house. We live in the countryside where there is little light pollution so that children can see some of the most nearby planets and meteor showers too.
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DREAMS: Saoirse with her mom Roseanna. The eight-year-old boy, who lost a leg due to a tumor, received a trip to Disney World
“Our oldest son Danny is crazy about space and wants to be an astronaut and Adam has always been his Capcom [spacecraft communicator]. Together they have great space adventures. “
Now come messages from astronaut trainers and NASA mission control agents, who saw Adam’s space countdown and want to help him get closer to the action. “It’s very humiliating,” says David.
Adam’s parents, who were born with a brittle bone condition, which, in its most serious form, is not compatible with life, had prepared for the possibility that they would not hear a cry in the delivery room. Instead, they heard “a roar.”
Since then, Adam has defied all medical expectations. But not without the constant support of hospital workers like John Doyle, whom Adam credited as his “favorite Irish celebrity” on his Late Late Toy Show app.
David, who has written a book called But Really … Adventures with a Difference to Inspire Families of Children with Extra Needs, says: “Historically, children with Adam’s condition [osteogenesis imperfecta] they were known as ‘pillow babies’ because they would roll over pillows for fear of breaking them. We had the mentality that we would never wrap our son in cotton. We don’t accept that narrative. “
Elsewhere on the show, Saoirse Ruane (8), from Kiltullagh, Co Galway, also captured hearts while sharing her story of losing her leg due to a tumor.
She started feeling ill on Toy Show night last year and wanted to walk again this Christmas. She got her wish and Ryan Tubridy introduced her to a trip to Disney World.
Meanwhile, a charity appeal launched during the show has raised almost 6 million euros so far. Ryan said the new RTÉ charity fund will be used to support “the children who need it most.”
All funds raised will be distributed by The Community Foundation for Ireland in 2021. Half of the money raised will go to the three charities: Barnardos, Children’s Health Foundation and Children’s Books Ireland.
Independent Sunday
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