Children's Healthcare of Atlanta patients meet NASA astronaut to hear space stories

Patients at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta had a special visitor on Thursday.

Retired U.S. Army Colonel and former NASA Astronaut Shane Kimbrough stopped by the hospital to meet with kids and tell his stories about space.

One of those patients, London Parks, is receiving care for her blood disorder at Arthur M. Blank Hospital. But on Thursday, she was able to focus on something else.

"I've never met an astronaut before, you know, it's a first time for everything," Parks said.

She didn't want to miss the chance to meet him.

"I thought it was like a one-time thing because you don't really meet astronauts regularly, so it was pretty cool," Parks said.

Patients were able to ask Kimbrough questions about space and learn more about his missions. Parks said Kimbrough's visit was more than she expected.

"I thought it was just like a meet and greet, take pictures, and then that's it," Parks said. "But he talked about his experiences, and that was pretty cool."

For Kimbrough, it's about inspiring the youngest among us.

"I hope the stories I tell just get them thinking like, 'Hey, maybe I can do that one day' or 'Maybe I can do something big and grand that I wasn't thinking I could do,'" Kimbrough said.

He said meeting the kids is what makes these visits special.

"I know a lot of them are going through some hard times, and hopefully this gives them a bright spot in their day and maybe again can inspire them to do something down the road that's really special," Kimbrough said.

Parks said Kimbrough's visit did inspire her.

"I feel like you can do anything, like being an astronaut is possible," Parks said.