Airline's touching birthday surprise for teen with Down syndrome
American Airlines threw a three-city Disney-themed party for its favourite customer — a teen with Down syndrome and a life-threatening illness.
Shantell Pooser, also known as “Shannie” or “Princess”, was born with a defect consisting of three different breathing conditions, a heart defect and Down syndrome.
Shannie’s lungs are 80 per cent obstructed and without Tuesday’s (local time) surgery, during which doctors implanted a prosthetic tracheotomy, her health would have further deteriorated.
Since 2016, Shannie and her mother, Deanna Miller Berry, have flown from their home in Columbia, South Carolina to Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio for surgeries.
Their carrier of choice was PSA Airlines, an American Airlines subsidiary.
“We flew Delta once and when Shannie saw those uniforms, she was not having it,” Ms Berry tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
During one of those flights, Shannie received her first pair of kids’ wings and wanted to one day work for the airline.
For her 17th birthday in October, Ms Berry threw her daughter an American Airlines-themed birthday party, but when she emailed the company to use its logo on DIY party favours she got a bigger surprise.
The airline threw Shannie a birthday party in the first-class section of a Boeing plane with her friends, including Columbia mayor Stephen K. Benjamin, according to CBS News.
Shannie received an official American Airlines uniform and has since performed on-board duties such as greeting passengers and passing out snacks.
Ms Berry, a disabled veteran, worried that she couldn’t afford travel expenses for Shannie’s latest surgery.
But when she called American Airlines pilot and now-friend Matt Coelyn to explain her problem, the company purchased Shannie’s entire family round-trip tickets and a 29-night stay at the Kingsgate Hotel in Cincinnati.
“I felt every emotion then,” Ms Berry tells Yahoo Lifestyle, not yet realising what was in store for her daughter.
When the family drove to Columbia Metropolitan Airport on Monday (local time), they were welcomed with a wheelchair with balloons, a red carpet and VIP signs.
“After we passed through TSA, there was a huge cake for everyone in the terminal,” Ms Berry told Yahoo Lifestyle.
But the grander surprise was the plane itself: The Boeing 900 jet bore Shannie’s name on a sticker.
“They dedicated the jet to Shannie,” Ms Berry tells Yahoo Lifestyle.
“I was bawling.”
More surprises for Shannie
The plane landed in Charlotte, North Carolina for a short layover and the crew wheeled up a chair with even bigger balloons, Ms Berry said.
Flight attendants wore pink-and-teal scarves, the teen’s favourite colours, and dressed Shannie in a sash.
The family was escorted to a second private party, with a red carpet and food donated by airport vendors.
“People missed their flights to party with Shannie and American accommodated everyone,” Ms Berry said.
The crew asked Shannie to name her favourite Disney character (anyone from the Descendants series).
And when the family landed at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, they learned why.
After giving Shannie with a wheelchair decorated with an extravagant balloon arch, a special guest appeared.
“We saw a woman dressed as Cinderella and Shannie went crazy, saying, ‘Hey girl!’” Ms Berry told Yahoo Lifestyle.
Castle displays and balloon art lined the terminal, another lavish buffet fed hungry passengers and a gift table offered colourful scarves to protect Shannie’s prosthetic tracheotomy.
“We stayed at the airport for three hours, then rode to the hospital in a pink stretch limo,” Ms Berry told Yahoo Lifestyle.
During Shannie’s surgery, the flight attendants kept Ms Berry company and on Thursday night, upper management will pay the family a visit.
“It gave Princess so much strength looking at videos of the parties,” Ms Berry told Yahoo Lifestyle.
“She was in love.”
An American Airlines spokesperson told Yahoo Lifestyle “Shantell ‘Princess’ Pooser thought that becoming the first special needs flight attendant for American Airlines last year was the highlight of her aviation dreams”.
“That is, until this past week when team members came together to give her an experience she will never forget,” the spokesperson said.
Next year after Shannie turns 18, she will become an American Airlines ambassador, travelling to industry conferences.
“Shannie wants to be involved with American Airlines in any way,” Ms Berry told Yahoo Lifestyle, adding “as long as she can wear the uniform”.
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