Hospitalized young Batman fan receives call from Christian Bale
A Batman superfan facing his own battle with leukemia was given the ultimate treat when Christian Bale -- who plays his favorite hero in the "Dark Knight" trilogy -- called him for a chat.
Zach Guillot, 8, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in February 2010, according to his official Facebook page ZachAttacksLeukemia. AML starts inside the bone marrow, the tissue inside the bones that creates white blood cells. In AML, the cancer grows out of cells that would normally become white blood cells. AML is one of the most common types of leukemia for adults, and is very rare for people under 40.
Zach had received a first bone marrow transplant from his brother Jake, but needed a second bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor after he relapsed in November 2011. He received the second transplant in February 2012. He relapsed again 200 days after the second transplant, and is now undergoing a trial transplant treatment at Seattle Children's Hospital.
While he was undergoing chemotherapy in preparation for a potential third bone marrow transplant from his father, a family friend arranged for Bale to call. Zach, who dressed up as Batman for Halloween and even had a Batmobile made, explained to the actor that he's managed to convince his brother that he is Batman. Bale laughed and reminded Zach that all that is required to be Batman is a positive attitude.
"The whole point of the movie is anybody can be Batman. Anybody can be as strong as that and help people and put good out into the world," Bale said to Zach.
The two chatted about being Zach being in Seattle and Bale growing up in England, with both commiserating over the rainy weather. Bale then thanked Zach for being a fan, and promised to tell the actors who played Catwoman and Bane, Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy, and movie director Christopher Nolan about him.
"It makes us all so happy, so thank you for doing that for us," said Bale. "Thanks for carrying the torch and keep on playing Batman, OK?"
To become a bone marrow donor, visit the National Marrow Donor Program.
To hear the entire phone call, watch the video below:
