TMSG: 8-Year-Old Becomes National Geographic Photographer for a Day

8-year-old Oban Birmingham from Connecticut was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and he just had his Make-a-Wish dream come true.

Birmingham was first diagnosed in October 2020, but that didn’t stop his passion for nature. He’s always wanted to be a wildlife photographer, he particularly loves endangered Florida panthers. Make-a-Wish South Florida stepped in to make Birmingham’s dream a reality. He got to spend a day with National Geographic photographer Carlton Ward at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Southwest Florida.

The two of them went on an exclusive tour and Birmingham was able to use Ward’s camera to capture the wildlife. Ward was moved by his time spent with Birmingham, who’s the same age as one of his children. Ward told news outlets that he really enjoyed sharing places he cares about so much particularly because it was such a personal one-to-one experience.