Sometimes seeing your hero in person is a little shocking. For Elias, 3, opening the door to Blippi, his favorite YouTube personality, made him so excited he couldn’t let go of his mother.

“He is so excited to meet you Blippi,” said Halley, Elias’ mom. “He couldn’t wait to be here.”

Here was the OdySea Aquarium, one of Elias’ family’s favorite locations in Arizona, where Blippi and Elias had a day of adventures together looking at sea animals, learning and playing – fulfilling Elias’ wish to meet his YouTube hero.

For the past three years, Elias has had many tests and treatment as his family has learned to deal with his critical nervous system disorder. Blippi and his fun videos on YouTube were one of the fun things that focused Elias and brought him joy.

When meeting Blippi in person, Elias wore his favorite Blippi outfit and after blowing some bubble and playing some ball together, he and Blippi personally met one of the OdySea’s penguins, Sedona, and then were able to wander around the aquarium, learning about the fish and having some fun with Elias’ siblings and parents. 

“Blippi was so caring and patient with Elias, considering his severe his speech delay,” said Halley. “I think for a moment Elias was able to feel equal and understood, which is a big struggle with his diagnosis.

“It was the most amazing day,” she continued. “Elias was so happy meeting Blippi and is still talking non-stop about Blippi. His wish brought so much joy and beautiful memories for him, and we are forever thankful. We couldn’t have asked for anything more, I know this Elias will remember this day always.”