Kai’s Cap: A Story of Resilience and Connection
It was midnight. The usually bustling Spokane International Airport was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The last flight was coming in from Seattle, and wish-granting volunteer Brian Kingsbury was there to welcome Kai’s family back home.
They were flying back from their wish trip to Hawaii, and Brian wanted to be there when they got off the plane, even if it was late at night.
Brian and Kai’s family have formed a deep connection throughout the years as Kai was waiting for his wish which was postponed due to Covid. While Kai waited for his wish to come true, his volunteers kept in touch, helping to create small moments of joy along the way. It’s in those small moments that Brian and Kai’s other volunteers became like an extension of their family.
As the family exited the plane, they walked the long corridor to the terminal and saw Brian. Kai stopped, rubbed his eyes sleepily, and he reached into his backpack. “Do you have something for Brian?” his dad asked Kai. With a smile on his face, Kai pulled out a cap with three letters embroidered just above the brim: KAI.
“That was pretty magical,” said Brian. “I'll never forget that moment.”
When Kai saw the cap in a small restaurant during their Hawaii trip, he knew Brian would love it, and so he asked if he could get it for his beloved wish-granting volunteer. Little did Kai know just how significant that small, blue cap would become.
“The moment I saw that cap, it connected with me almost instantaneously,” said Brian.
Brian had been training for an IRONMAN, and Kai’s cap would serve as the best motivation possible. So that day, in a quiet airport in October, Brian decided he would wear Kai’s cap in the IRONMAN Coeur d'Alene in Idaho. He would swim 2.4 miles. He would bike 112 miles. And then he would adorn the cap and run 26.2 miles.
“I know what Kai's been through and I keep thinking, ‘if he can go through what he's been through, I think I can make it through 26.2 miles. I need that thought when I’m going through IRONMAN.”
In June, Brian completed the race, finishing first in his age bracket and qualifying for the Men’s World Championship in Nice, France.
“I kept thinking about Kai and resiliency during my run,” Brian said.
In September, Brian packed his Kai cap and headed to France. Brian wore it as he ran, and it gave him strength. He said during the race, Kai was on his mind. He thought of his resilience and strength, and it pushed him to keep going through adversity.
He finished third in the world in his age group.
For Brian, wishes are about overcoming challenging odds.
“It’s about never giving up,” he said. “It's overcoming. And that, that part of a wish resonates with me.”
He knows what it is like to receive devastating news, and to search for hope in darkness.
“A wish for a child and their family are happy memories. When you are diagnosed with a critical illness, you need support, he said” Brian can speak from experience as his own son was diagnosed with leukemia as a child. “All of the sudden your world is flipped upside down, and you are searching for joy and hope. And that’s what a wish is. I am so grateful for the opportunity to help grant Kai’s wish, but honestly, they have impacted my life as well.”
Brian said when he became a volunteer, he knew donating his time and talents would benefit the community, but what he didn’t realize was how much joy he would receive from the opportunity.
“Kai changed my life,” he said.