The airline found itself in the eye of a social media storm after breaking a terminally ill boy’s $15,000 wheelchair on a flight to New York City Wednesday.

Air Canada first told his family he might have to wait until Monday to get his chair back. But by Thursday afternoon — after a massive social media outburst sparked by his blogger aunt — the airline returned his fixed chair and offered him a free trip to Disney World.

Tanner Bawn, 10, of Vancouver, has muscular dystrophy and is immobile without the electric wheelchair.

The airline took the chair apart for shipping and couldn’t put it back together because it was damaged by the time they arrived in LaGuardia Airport in Queens, N.Y., on Wednesday.

“We know Tanner’s No. 1 personal wish is to go to Disney World, so we’ll be making that happen for him and his cousins,” said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick, who said the company is sorry for what happened and will investigate the incident further.

Tanner Bawn, a 10-year-old from Vancouver, suffers from muscular dystrophy and is unable to get around without his wheelchair.

The boy’s aunt, Toronto-based blogger Catherine Connors said she was overwhelmed when Air Canada broke the news about Disney World.

“I kind of burst into tears a little bit,” she said. “It’s definitely a heart-burster because it was the wish that triggered the wish list.”

Tanner, who may not live to see his 12th birthday, has a 13-item list of wishes he hopes to fulfill before he dies. First on his list is to take his cousins Emilia, 4, and Jasper, 2, to Disney World.

After an afternoon spent in front of television crews and in interviews with other media, the smiling blond told the Star he was looking forward to a trip to the big New York Toys 'R' Us and maybe getting a hot dog.

“I'm happy to have my chair back,” he said. “I had a long day.”

Asked what he thinks of all the attention, Tanner said, “It's kind of embarrassing.”

Tanner is in New York for a charity run called “Tutus for Tanner,” a muscular dystrophy fundraising event organized by Connors, who blogs regularly about Tanner’s condition.

At the same time, hundreds of bloggers — many of whom have become actively involved in Tanner’s cause through his social media savvy aunt — were heading to New York this weekend for the annual BlogHer conference.

In a 30-hour Twitter fundraising campaign earlier this week, many of those people helped raise $25,000 to renovate Tanner’s house so that he can die at home.

On Thursday many tweeted outrage on his behalf under the tag #tutusfortanner.

Air Canada has also offered to make a donation to the home renovation fund.

Connors said she’s happy the airline made things right. “But there’s a part of my heart that still really hurts,” she said.

“If I hadn’t been with Chrissie (Bawn, Tanner’s mother) and Tanner, if it were any other kid without a vast social media network behind them, it wouldn’t have turned out this way.”

Connors tweeted her thanks Thursday afternoon.

“Tanner has his chair back,” she said. “Thank you Internet. Heart explodes.”

www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/844270--air-canada-breaks-dying-boy-s-wheelchair

August 5, 2010