Byron Waller, a 15-year-old from Brisbane, Australia, is using aviation to raise awareness about Crohn’s disease and show people they can overcome their limitations.
Byron had been in and out of the hospital since he was just 2 weeks old with little answers until he was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 13. Crohn’s causes chronic inflammation of the digestive tract, causing a multitude of symptoms that can be complicated to manage — even more complicated to manage in the environment of a cockpit.
But he hasn’t let that stop him. Byron has been infatuated with aviation since a young age when he got a ride in a Royal Australian Air Force C-17. “That kind of sparked my passion,” Byron said. “Then at about 13, I did my first flying lesson, and that made me want to get into it more. I absolutely loved it.”
Byron is waiting until he turns 16 to get his recreational pilot license, but in Australia, you can fly solo at 15 — something he has been doing plenty of. Last year, Byron completed a flying tour around Australia in a Cessna 172 to raise awareness for Crohn’s disease and support the Queensland Children’s Hospital. Incredibly, this tour helped the hospital open a new gastroenterology ward.
Coming up next for Byron is an around-the-world flight in a Sling TSi to continue raising awareness and spread his message. “People can overcome their illness. It’s not a definer; it’s just a limitation, and you can overcome it. It takes a lot of effort, but it’s really rewarding,” he said. “Just showing people that they can do something, too. Even if it’s not aviation, it might be simply just getting out of bed in the morning.”
You can learn more about Byron’s inspiring story and message at his presentation, “From Hospital Bed to Cockpit,” on Friday at 10 a.m. at Forum Stage 6 or in his book From Patient to Pilot.
