Meet the 6-year-old South Carolina boy who got to be a zookeeper for a day

Heidi Zimmerman and her 6-year-old son, Dale, are used to diagnoses, hospitals and doctor's appointments.

It can all be overwhelming for her son, who was just 16 months old when he was diagnosed with neurofibromatosis type 1, a genetic condition that causes tumors to grow along the nerves. 

For once, Dale was able to put that behind him for one day on March 18 and “focus on the fun” as a zookeeper for the day at Zoo Miami, his mom said.

Zimmerman and Dale traveled hundreds of miles from their home in Greenville, South Carolina, to Zoo Miami as part of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida’s program to grant wishes for children who have critical illnesses. Once there, Dale got to feed carrots to giraffes, hear an elephant speak − and even though he seemed a bit nervous − meet his favorite animal, the rhino.

The zoo's goodwill ambassador, Ron Magill, spent the day with the Zimmermans and taught Dale all about all the animals.

“As someone who has had the privilege of helping to grant many wishes for Make-A-Wish kids over the years, I can say without hesitation that it is one of the greatest joys and privileges I have had in my 44 year career at the zoo,” Magill said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Though I've dedicated my life to animals, there is nothing more important in our society than our children.”

South Carolina 6-year-old had leg amputated

When Dale was 4 months old, he was in a Bumbo seat, leaned forward and snapped his left tibia in two. Not realizing anything was wrong, his mother went on about her day but eventually noticed his leg was swollen.

She took him to the emergency room, where doctors ordered X-rays and found it was broken. After more appointments, they learned he had neurofibromatosis type 1, also known as NF1.

Dale “didn't actually form a real bone,” his mom said. “It was more like cartilage. It was like a fake bone, and they said that it was destined to break through non-trauma before the age of 2.”

He eventually had his leg amputated and now has a prosthetic one. He also lost vision in one of his eyes because of a noncancerous tumor on his right optic nerve, his mother said.

“He was such a champ and he made it through chemo and got to ring the bell,” she said, adding that ringing the bell is how his wish came along. 

Since then, he has restarted chemo because doctors noticed a tumor in his cerebellum. They removed that and it immediately grew back. They tried again to remove it but couldn’t get it all, so he restarted chemo on Friday.

Wish kid zookeeper has always loved animals

Zimmerman said Dale has always loved animals and taking care of them. The family fosters two kittens and has one of their own. 

They adopted one of them after taking a different cat to the veterinarian. 

“This kitten that we saw there was a kitten that has a special paw and is blind in his eye,” Zimmerman said. “Dale just fell in love with it, and the vet thought that since Dale had a special leg and was blind, that he would be the perfect person to adopt this kitten.”

His mother said Make-A-Wish is doing amazing work and gives families going through a tough time the chance to sit back and relax.

“Hospitals and tests and all that are not fun, so Make-A-Wish, it just lets you kind of forget the scary and get to focus on the fun,” she said. “He was so excited to feed the giraffe. His giggle of pure delight and excitement is just not one that I've heard a whole lot lately with everything that he's been through.”

He even went home with an elephant stuffed animal that he now takes to doctor’s appointments sometimes, she said. He does health checks on his elephant like he saw zoo staff complete in Miami.

Nonprofit has granted 14,000 wishes and counting

Since 1983, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted more than 14,000 wishes, the organization said.

Make-A-Wish Southern Florida helps grant wishes for 900 to 1,000 families a year, whether they're Florida residents or not, said Norman Wedderburn, CEO of the nonprofit's South Florida chapter, who played a pivotal role in granting Dale’s wish.

Although Dale is from South Carolina, he got to be a zookeeper for a day at Zoo Miami because Make-A-Wish Southern Florida works with Zoo Miami often. 

Everyone can relate to having a wish or dream, he said. 

For kids in the Make-A-Wish program, having someone come in and ask you what your wish is a welcome change. The nonprofit often hears from families they’ve helped who say choosing their wish felt as if it were the only thing within their control.

“They tell us years later that it was really the point that kind of redirected the trajectory that they were on,” Wedderburn said. ”It redirected the trajectory that their family was on because up until the wish, it was a lot of gloom and doom.”

Wedderburn said studies have shown children whose wishes are granted feel better emotionally.

One such study is the 2022 Wish Impact Study, during which researchers spoke to parents of wish kids, former wish recipients and doctors. According to Make-A-Wish, 94% of parents surveyed recalled their children feeling better emotionally and 91% of parents think the wishes gave their children a better chance of survival.

Southern Florida chapter CEO made career change to help kids

Wedderburn describes himself as a “big kid at heart” and said he got involved with Make-A-Wish when he was in law school. 

He was a volunteer and realized he was happiest while working with children. While he did go on to practice law, he eventually became a board member for Make-A-Wish, and 18 years ago, took over as CEO of the South Florida chapter. 

There are wish kids who are now grown up with children of their own, he said. It’s a pleasure to see how far they’ve come.

“It's motivating and makes you want to actually go out there and ensure that no eligible child does not get his or her wish,” he said. That's what I work around the clock trying to do.”

To connect with Make-A-Wish, visit wish.org.

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY's NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Follow her on Twitter at@SaleenMartin or email her atsdmartin@usatoday.com.