B.C. veteran places balloon animals around community every day for years
When she first spotted a bunch of bright balloon animals sitting on the tables in the lobby of her local recreation centre, Sajia Islam was surprised.
“I was delighted,” Sajia says. “But I just thought why is this here?”
Perhaps they were left over from a birthday party, Lana McMillan wondered.
“But as I kept coming back, I kept seeing them,” said Lana, who is a support worker who regularly brings her clients to the centre.
Every time, a whole new batch of balloons.
“Can I take one?” Lorna Martin asks before picking up a purple balloon that had been twisted to create a motorcycle, and bursting into a smile. “Happy.”
Dozens of balloons are taken every day, before being replaced the next day.
“I think he or she is a very kind person,” Sajia says, holding the two balloon dogs she picked up.
But who’s been making them and placing them at various locations around the community has been a mystery for most. Until now.
“Some people drink. Some people smoke,” Kyle Mitchell says before effortlessly blowing air into a long balloon. “I leave a trail of balloons wherever I go.”
Kyle says he regularly leaves balloon animals at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre after his morning swim class, at the Tim Hortons in Colwood after having coffee with his friends, and while waiting in line at various other places.
He started focusing on the bending balloons after busting up his body during a parachute accident while serving in the army’s airborne division.
“You go through life as a young man thinking you’re invincible,” Kyle says of how adventurous he was before slowing down to focus on learning the art of clowning in his spare time. “And then you finally realize maybe I’m not.”
So Kyle switched to serving in the air force and the navy. During deployments, he volunteered to make balloon animals for the locals.
“When I was in the Persian Gulf, the Americans actually had a group of clowns on their ship,” Kyle recalls. “They invited me to join them to entertain Kuwaiti orphans.”
After retiring from the military after 30 years, Kyle work as a professional clown.
But his routine of leaving dozens of biodegradable balloon animals behind is different. Kyle is still striving to serve the community.
“No matter their age,” Kyle says of the children, teenagers and adults he’s seen pick up his balloons, “you see people allowing themselves to have fun.”
You see how that motorcycle balloon makes Lorna beam, how Sajia can’t wait to give those two to her son and daughter, and how the multiple balloons that were turned into a unicorn hat make a boy named William proclaim, “I love it so much,” before giving two thumbs up.
You also see how Amy, who usually communicates through sigh language, reaches for a yellow balloon dog, bursts into a big smile, and proclaims, “Happy! Happy!”
Her joy is contagious for her caregiver.
“[Her] smiles are what make my day the best,” Lana smiles.
And you see why Kyle has been spending his time transforming balloons into all sorts of wonderful things, and leaving them behind for people to find every day for the past five years.
“If you can make them smile,” Kyle smiles. “Why wouldn’t you?”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Repetitive partisan conduct': Conservatives to force vote on ousting Speaker Greg Fergus
The federal Conservatives have advanced a motion that will force MPs to vote on whether to oust Greg Fergus as House of Commons Speaker, after MPs' deputy adjudicator ruled Monday that the Liberal member's allegedly errant partisan event invite required urgent attention.
Teen was doing homework at family's Mississauga, Ont. restaurant when gunman opened fire: testimony
The 13-year-old sister of a young man killed in the attack on her family’s Mississauga restaurant in 2021 took the stand in a Brampton courthouse on Monday to describe the terrifying moments of coming under fire.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
Israel close to approving Gaza reunification program before Rafah invasion: Miller
Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Israel seemed to be on the verge of approving a program to get Palestinian relatives of Canadians out of the Gaza Strip before the country's invasion of the town of Rafah.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
'Decades-long fight': MPs unanimously pass 'anti-scab' legislation
A bill that would ban federal employers from using replacement workers or 'scabs' during lockouts or strikes passed the House of Commons unanimously on Monday.
Netanyahu acknowledges 'tragic mistake' after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians
Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a 'tragic mistake' had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and killed at least 45 people.
Severe thunderstorms, tornado watch in some areas of Canada. Here's where
Depending on where you live, you can expect to get a mixed bag of weather this week, as local forecasts predict heavy rain, strong wind, severe thunderstorms and even snowfall across some areas of Canada.