Fredon youth gets wish granted in Alaska

FREDON — Since the third grade, 12-year-old Braeden Hahn has had one dream — to be a helicopter pilot for the United States Coast Guard. When he was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia in March 2012, he was faced with the possibility that his chosen path might no longer be an option.

So, when he was offered a wish from Make-A-Wish New Jersey, Braeden chose to experience his dream first hand — and he and his family were flown to Kodiak, Alaska to visit the U.S. Coast Guard Alaska Patrol base.

Aplastic anemia occurs when a patient’s bone marrow fails, causing the body to stop creating red-blood cells to replace dead cells. While the only cure is a bone-marrow transplant, the disease has greater than an 82 percent survival rate with blood transfusions and anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) treatments, which consist of injections of horse-derived antibodies against human T-cells, if diagnosed before a patient reaches age 20.

While the disease can be caused by exposure to chemicals, drugs, radiation, infection, immune disease and heredity, Braeden’s cause is unknown — as is seen in about half of cases diagnosed.

While Braeden currently has the disease in check, he is on medicine to keep his immune system suppressed and his platelet count is still very low, making contact sports out of the question.

The combination of the above will make Braeden’s journey into the Coast Guard more difficult, though he has committed himself to working in school with the hopes of being granted access into the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, which provides education to future Coast Guard officers in one of eight major fields of study.

“I don’t know what really got me into it except that I wanted to do something for my country,” Braeden said. “I’ve always loved helicopters, so one night it just clicked — helicopter pilot for the U.S. Coast Guard.”

A wish fulfilled
While Braeden’s wish was granted last year, the Hahn’s held off on making the trek for a year due to the state of Braeden’s sickness and treatments, which sometimes included twice-weekly blood transfusions.

“We had to put him in bubble wrap for a while,” Braeden's mother, Becki Hahn, said.

On July 27, the Hahn family took the four-layover flight to Kodiak. After the 14-hour trip, the Hahn’s were immediately greeted in the airport by about 15 Coast Guard members.

“From that moment on,” Becki said, “they embraced us like family.”

During the trip, the Hahn’s spent two full days at Air Station Kodiak, where Braeden was able to sit in on morning briefings, tour airframes and work with rescue swimmers in the indoor pool — running drills including free-fall practice and a simulated water egress. He also got to drive a boat into Women’s Bay, where the family watched an H-60 Jayhawk helicopter run rescue drills.

He also was able to sit in the copilot seat of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin for an hour-long touring flight over the coast and bay, where he saw several herds of buffalo, a pod of whales and many other native species of flora and fauna.

“What better way to see Kodiak?” Becki said.

During the trip, the Weather Channel's television show "Coast Guard Alaska" was filming the entire trip for footage for an upcoming episode. Check local listings for the air date.

Braeden’s on-base experience then ended with the wing-pinning ceremony, which is generally reserved for cadets after completing pilot training.

“It was a really moving experience,” Becki said.

On the final day of the trip, Coast Guard members opted to spend more time with Braeden and invited the family on a 17-mile all-terrain vehicle ride to a private fishing spot, where Braeden caught five salmon.

“Everyone there (the Coast Guard) had huge hearts,” Becki said. “It was a great experience and we just want to say thank you.”

From Make-A-Wish New Jersey, to Make-A-Wish Alaska, to the U.S. Coast Guard, the Hahn’s are still trying to figure out who to thank for having the wish granted.

“It’s kind of like asking for a magician’s secret,” she added.

“He had the time of his life,” Becki said, “which is exactly what he deserved.”

“I just wish it was longer,” Braeden added. “And I can’t wait to go back. It’s not a question of if, but when.”