This is Kiara. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor in November 2014.
All images via Expedia/YouTube.
The tumor was cancerous, and she spent almost a year in treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®. She loves horses and enjoyed coloring pictures of them while she was at St. Jude.
This is Sara. She had a brain tumor too, about five years ago.
She had surgery, and today she’s fortunate to lead a healthy, normal life. Sara works for Expedia and was one of four volunteers picked for a special project — to bring a little bit of hope and adventure to kids who have cancer.
In October 2015, Sara and Kiara got to go on the adventure of a lifetime together: roaming with wild horses in Córdoba, Argentina.
Well, kind of.
Sara flew to Argentina equipped with a 360-degree camera and live-streaming technology. With the help of projection mapping software, she was able to stream her trip back to St. Jude so that Kiara could virtually travel with her.
“Anything I can do to make today better for her is my honor to do,” said Sara.
All GIFs via Expedia/YouTube.
Pretty incredible, right? So how exactly did they do that?
Sara recorded her adventures with a 360-degree camera.
A company called All 360 Media worked with her and the other volunteers to set up live-streaming from remote places like Córdoba back to a projection system at St. Jude.
It was a little tricky, what with the whole trying-to-get-Wi-Fi-in-the-middle-of-nowhere thing, so they used satellite technology to help.
Then it was time for Pixel Rain. Pixel Rain does projection mapping, which basically means they project content onto non-flat objects, instead of screens, to create a 3D look.
In this case, they took the footage being streamed to them by Sara and the other volunteers and wrapped it around a sphere to create the visual equivalent of surround sound.
The result? A totally immersive environment.
Watch the full gorgeous story below:
Did you know that you can also help kids like these, no fancy tech required?
If you’re not familiar with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®, its mission is to “advance cures, and means of prevention, for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment.”
Families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing, or food. St. Jude cares for patients regardless of their financial situation, thanks largely in part to individual contributions.
If you use Expedia, you’re in luck. You can donate your Expedia+ points and 100% will go straight to St. Jude. Learn more here about how to help these children fighting cancer and other life-threatening diseases get back the quality of life they so very much deserve.
