A Nova Scotia senior had his dream come true Monday, thanks to a local charity, and his wife.
Rodney Stark has dreamed of flying in a helicopter since he was a young boy.
"In 1954, I was around six years old, I looked up at the sky and I saw a helicopter and I thought it looked like a big dragonfly," said Rodney. "I've always wanted to go and I wanted to learn about the helicopters as much as I could. So, I thought, someday I'd like to get a ride in one."
Rodney has survived four heart attacks and lives with chronic pain.
His wife, Leta Stark, says she's always known getting to ride in a helicopter has been a dream of his.
"We've been together almost 50 years and he's had a lot of health issues. He's always wanted to do this, I've always known that he wanted to do it, and we just never had the opportunity to," Leta said.
"And then when I saw the first interview on TV with the We Are Young Foundation, I just opened up my computer right then and sent off an application and just never really thought that it would come true."
But that dream did come true.
We Are Young, a charity that grants unfulfilled wishes to seniors living in Nova Scotia, accepted Rodney's application.
"He's always wanted to fly in a helicopter and even having the opportunity to speak to the pilot and ask the questions that he's always wanted to know," said Cara Chisholm with We Are Young. "He's so excited to be here today and to get a front-row seat."
"This (the helicopter) is something he's never been close to, let alone being able to fly in, so it has really fascinated him too," said Leta.
Rodney says he owes the big day all to his wife.
"If it wasn't for my wife, this wouldn't have happened. But it was a long while before it came true and I'm glad it did," said Rodney.
We Are Young is currently trying to fundraise $10,000 with its “Let's Take Flight” campaign in hopes to grant five more helicopter rides to people with a wish like Rodney’s.
More information on We Are Young can be found online.
