Jonathon Fletcher’s mother marvels that her 5-year-old son is still here. Doctors gave Jonathon three to nine months to live when they discovered cancer in his brain. That was 13 months ago. In September, the inoperable brainstem glioma showed signs that it was growing again, despite radiation and chemotherapy treatments.

He could have weeks, maybe days to live. And mother Tina Fletcher’s goal now is to try to keep him pain free and from being scared. But it’s difficult — he tells her he’s afraid of going to heaven alone.

When a local television station aired a story about the boy’s wish to ride in a helicopter, the LifeNet air ambulance folks based at Rosecrans Memorial Airport were flooded with calls. But it didn’t take much outside help to convince the local flight team to take action — Chris Filley, a paramedic with LifeNet, saw the report, too.

“I knew we had to do something,” said Mr. Filley, who made some calls and arranged for the boy and his father, who are from Independence, Mo., to take a tour of the city by air.

Mike Mazur, a business development employee for Air Methods, the company that operates LifeNet, said it was his company’s pleasure to give the boy a small miracle.

The Fletchers got a call at about 9 a.m. Friday, asking if they’d like to come to St. Joseph to fulfill Jonathon’s dream of catching a ride in a helicopter. Within minutes, the family of six was in the car headed to town.

Jonathon, blond-haired, bespectacled, with long eyelashes over blue eyes, had few words before his flight. His mother claims he’s the quiet one of the four children. Asked if he was excited, Jonathon nodded an emphatic yes as he was strapped into the helicopter. Brother Hunter, 3, and sisters Kirstin, 8, and Deanna, 6, watched from a distance as the chopper’s engine revved and the spinning blades carried the boy and father David over the tarmac.

Pilot Gary White looked down at Jonathon during the 10-minute flight and said his eyes were closed most of the time. But Jonathon wasn’t scared.

“He just looked really peaceful,” the pilot said.

Jonathon’s siblings raced to the chopper shortly after its landing and hugged him as he set foot on the ground.

“You should have been there,” Jonathon said to his oldest sister.

Jimmy Myers can be reached

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