COVENTRY TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- It was a superhero sendoff for the ages on Wednesday for a 5-year-old boy, who's set to endure his third open heart surgery in May.
Hundreds of students, faculty members and loved ones lined the sidewalks outside Coventry Elementary School to support kindergartner Mason Dinger.
Mason has a condition called Heterotaxy, a rare heart ailment. He's already been through two surgeries, and has a long road of recovery after his third, next month.
"There's no cure for congenital heart defect, and we're hoping to raise some awareness about this because we need more funding," his mother, Kelsey, said. "We're hopeful to buy at least 10-15 years before he needs any other intervention."
He'll miss the remainder of the school year as he gets care following his procedure. That's why his community sprung into action to wish him well in an epic way.
"The whole school has gotten behind this endeavor. We've sold over 275 shirts," classroom assistant, Kathy White said.
In addition to his peers sending him off, Batman, Catwoman and the school's service dog were there to cheer him on. Mason loves cars, so the school organized for a race car to be in the parking lot, with "Team Mason" written on the side.
And, it gets better.
Mason's favorite meal is barbecue chicken, so the folks from Mission BBQ in Canton showed up with their truck to whisk Mason and his family away for a delicious meal.
They are so grateful for their community's support.
"We're just so thankful," Kelsey Dinger said."We're just so grateful for the community and for the school district, for everybody who's helped put this together. It's been such a blessing. Mason deserves it."
We caught the entire sendoff in our Facebook Live. Check it out, below: