Daniel Downing received a personal visit from certain alien robots from outer space.
The Transformers Autobots came to town to hang out with the 5-year-old terminally ill boy who has an affinity for cars, motorcycles and especially, Transformers.
Daniel suffers from a brain cancer called pontine glioma. This highly aggressive brain tumor is difficult to treat and finds itself at the base of the brain. These are glial tumors which arise from the glial tissue. These tissues are made up of cells that help support and protect the brain’s neurons. To read more about pontine glioma, click here.
Daniel’s family and friends surprised him with three vehicles supped up in the style of Transformers characters. The event was organized by Teddy Bear Run charity.
Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and Barricade, rolled up to a crowd of car and sci-fi enthusiasts, all in honor of Daniel, who was absolutely delighted. The excitement got his mind off of the illness.
When Optimus Prime is undercover on earth, he is disguised as an American Peterbult 379 truck. All vehicles made a long trip to visit Daniel and it was well worth the 800 mile trip.
Truck owner, Andy Graves, told Daniel that Optimus Prime could not take on his original form because there were too many people around.
Darren Thomas drove in the American Camaro known as Bumblebee, and also came from very far away to visit Daniel.
Tony Rice drove the US Mustang, which he decorated to resemble the evil Decepticon, Barricade. Tony dresses up as the car’s robot alter ego as wel,l with an eight-foot-tall costume. He has used the costume for charity work and raised over £100,000 in three years.
Helping organize the event was Mark Fletcher, who also took part in having Hot Wheels toy cars delivered from all over the world. Daniel has now added 1,000 models to his collection.
After the Transformers event, a party was held with Daniel’s classmates. He was able to roll up to the party in Optimus Prime himself.
“Daniel is a lovely boy and very positive and happy,” said Daniel’s father to The Herald. “To go through what he has gone through and to stay so positive, well, he’s an inspiration.
