Whizz! Pop! Flash! It's Electron Boy!

April 30, 2010 6:23 AM

Who fights the powers of evil with the incandescent glory of light? Who rescues helpless athletes and utility workers across the Seattle metropolitan area? Who gets a 20-cop motorcade escort for his bad-ass customized Delorean? Why, it's America's newest super hero, Electron Boy!

Erik Martin is a 13 year old boy with liver cancer. The Seattle chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation created an elaborate interactive scenario yesterday to fulfill Erik's wish: to be a superhero.

Yesterday, Erik Martin became....Electron Boy! The superhero who fights evil with the power of light foiled dastardly deeds by the evil Dr. Dark and Blackout Boy across the Seattle metro area yesterday.

Hundreds of volunteers participated in this day of amazing feats of incandescent heroism, including the Seattle Sounders soccer team, who were rescued from a locker room at Qwest field, and employees at Puget Sound Energy, who watched Electron Boy save a co-worker trapped high in a bucket truck. Our hero!!

The final showdown between Electron Boy and his evil adversaries naturally occurred at the base of Seattle's iconic Space Needle. Electron Boy and his sidekick Lightning Lad handily defeated Dr. Dark and Lighting Lad, keeping the northwest safe for truth, justice, and brightness!

The entire photo gallery (warning, loud ad at start) is great, but be sure not to miss this outstanding portrait of our newest hero, Electron Boy!!!

posted by Sublimity (37 comments total)

D'oh, that last link should have been to this picture. Get a load of those superhero muscles!!
posted by Sublimity at 6:25 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Ok, I teared up.
posted by oneironaut at 6:34 AM on April 30, 2010

Maybe I'm just a total sap, but this made me a little teary eyed. Way to go Make A Wish Foundation!
posted by chatongriffes at 6:35 AM on April 30, 2010

""Hip-hip, hooray!""

What a neat story! Thanks...

I'm thinking I need to make a donation to Make a Wish
posted by HuronBob at 6:36 AM on April 30, 2010

Well, now I have a whole bunch of new heroes...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 6:37 AM on April 30, 2010 [2 favorites]

That is just amazing. I need more stories like this in my life. Go Humans!
posted by futz at 6:38 AM on April 30, 2010

Damn, I seem to have something in my eye.
posted by JaredSeth at 6:43 AM on April 30, 2010

It's getting a little dusty in here.
posted by HumanComplex at 6:52 AM on April 30, 2010

Stuff like this makes me very happy to be a human.
posted by munchingzombie at 7:14 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Love it.
posted by cashman at 7:17 AM on April 30, 2010

Geesh...the pollen count must be severe today. My allergies just kicked in.
posted by ericb at 7:18 AM on April 30, 2010

I'm not much for the all sappy stuff, but, as I mentioned up stream, this is neat..

Another thought ....I put this on the same list as Extreme Home Makeover... which I can hardly watch without getting all misty..

We do need more of these kind of examples of people just being kind and loving. I don't want to diminish the importance and nobility of those individuals (and, there are more of them than we would probably imagine) whose acts of love and kindness are quiet and often unnoticed, but we also need these kinds of very public displays to remind us how we should all be treating each other every minute of every day.
posted by HuronBob at 7:18 AM on April 30, 2010

The humanity factor must be really high today. 'Cause I'm all teared up.
posted by humannaire at 7:21 AM on April 30, 2010

Okay ... I clicked on the Make-A-Wish foundation link (above) and have started to review their Wish Stories section of their website. Lots of smiles on the kids and the partcipants.

Warning: tissue advised for readers/viewers.
posted by ericb at 7:23 AM on April 30, 2010

I knew those Deadliest Catch guys were no good. They farm crabs to fund their evil deeds!
posted by Molesome at 7:27 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Good stuff.
posted by Burhanistan at 8:07 AM on April 30, 2010

This is such a fantastic fulfillment of a wish.
posted by alynnk at 8:13 AM on April 30, 2010

I recently saw an ad for make-a-wish that had a staged version of a very similar situation (little kid in a superhero suit shoots a net launcher at a guy in front of a big cartooney TnT detenator. All I could think was that i wanted to be a part of that, but i thought it was kind of a advertising hyperbole of what the foundation does. Thanks for proving me wrong in the best way possible.
posted by djduckie at 8:21 AM on April 30, 2010

Well I just donated, how can I not want to help more things like this happen. Now if you'll excuse me I got some sentiment in my eye...
posted by MrBobaFett at 8:42 AM on April 30, 2010

When someone says that People Suck, and we're all a bunch of greedy, selfish animals, now we can refute them with two words.

ELECTRON BOY.
posted by Harvey Jerkwater at 8:51 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Meh I didn't even cry a little bit.my contacts fell out for second but thats it.yes i am aware i have glasses on what of it
posted by Potomac Avenue at 9:00 AM on April 30, 2010

This one from the Make-A-Wish website is much, much less elaborate, but dear God.
posted by joyceanmachine at 9:15 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

That's about one of the best stories I've read in a long time.
posted by Caduceus at 9:26 AM on April 30, 2010

Jeez. That link from joyceanmachine has my eyes itching...yeah, that's it.
posted by kanata at 9:31 AM on April 30, 2010

Yeah, wow... something in my eye.
posted by brand-gnu at 9:35 AM on April 30, 2010

This one from the Make-A-Wish website is much, much less elaborate, but dear God.

Be sure to click on the link to the video in that article.
posted by ericb at 9:37 AM on April 30, 2010

This may be in the video, which I started to watch before I read this in the article:

Amanda paused every few moments of the visit to hug and kiss her new friend. “You’re fuzzy, Elmo,” Amanda said, patting his head. “I’m fuzzy too,” she added, patting her own hair, which is beginning to grow back after chemotherapy. Midway through the visit, she threw her arms around Elmo’s neck and said, “Thank you, Elmo. I love you.”

I BAILED WHILE I COULD STILL SEE THE COMPUTER MONITOR.
posted by joyceanmachine at 9:42 AM on April 30, 2010

*sniffle*

I love stories like this, although I often find them very difficult to read through. People can be incredibly kind when they set their minds to it.

I'd intended to post this story when it originally ran: Jake's Tractor Parade.
posted by zarq at 9:52 AM on April 30, 2010 [1 favorite]

Awesome. Just awesome.
posted by mr.marx at 10:59 AM on April 30, 2010

That is utterly awesome. For some reason, my climate-controlled office got awful smokey all of a sudden.

I would love to see that motorcade; does anyone know if there are any photos of it?
posted by caphector at 11:25 AM on April 30, 2010

Reading the post was bad enough, I'm not reading that article.

stupid jerks making me cry at work....
posted by toekneebullard at 11:45 AM on April 30, 2010

I'm cryin like a baby. Make-A-Wish website always does that to me. It's cathartic, anyway.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 2:28 PM on April 30, 2010

I'm sure people will hate me but when I saw this photo I couldn't help but flash on an imagined headline: "Wish" goes horribly awry as dying boy drives police motorcycle into Puget Sound.
posted by scalefree at 7:59 PM on April 30, 2010

Following up:

This weekend the Seattle Times has a follow-up story about Erik, his life story, the genesis of Electron Boy as his wish-fulfillment, and how people from around the world have responded to the story.

Warning: If you found the original story to be emotionally provoking, the follow-up will be a lot harder. That young man has been dealt some incredibly bad luck, healthwise. Might inspire folks to send a little love to the the American Cancer Society or Seattle Children's Hospital.
posted by Sublimity at 4:33 AM on May 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

Would it be illegal to make electron boy shirts with a local artist and donate all proceeds to make a wish? I really want to do my party and i got hustle and a friend that is a good artist.
posted by djduckie at 8:20 AM on May 9, 2010

thanks, sublimity. i missed this the first time around & was directed here from metatalk. quite a lovely & inspirational story. HUGE props to Judy and Jeremy Martin, electron boy's foster parents, too.
posted by msconduct at 1:11 PM on May 9, 2010

I do not approve.
posted by electroboy at 7:17 PM on May 9, 2010 [3 favorites]