SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. – The animals at Zoo Miami made the wild kingdom dreams of a young boy suffering from Cystic fibrosis come true on Friday.
The Make-A-Wish foundation helped grant the wish of 8-year-old Ryland, a boy from Colorado Springs who had always wanted to meet alligators and crocodiles.
Thanks to the foundation and Zoo Miami, Ryland received a special private tour; getting up close and personal with reptiles, rhinos, giraffes and other creatures from the animal world.
For his wish, Ryland wanted to experience things he would "never be able to do on his own."
As part of his five-day visit to South Florida, Ryland will go fishing in Key Largo and tour Everglades National Park.
Cystic fibrosis produces a thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and also blocks the pancreas, which prevents the normal breakdown of food. The lifelong disease affects more than 30,000 children in the United States,
Since 1983, Make-A-Wish South Florida has granted 11,000 wishes to children with critical illnesses.