BATON ROUGE - On Friday, hundreds passed through BREC's Baton Rouge Zoo as part of Dreamnight, a global initiative where zoos open their gates to medically vulnerable children for a special event.

Nine-year-old Xavier Chew said Friday was the best day of his life.

"Let me say something. Every nine-year-old should deserve this, this is the best day of your life. If you go here, you're going to see tons of things you like to see," he said.

His mother Laketria West said his smile is something to see.

"Priceless, absolutely, positively priceless," she said.

Chew learned on Friday morning that he had been cleared to attend Dreamnight. Chew was then escorted by police and welcomed by zoo staff. Along with seeing animals, Chew got to meet his favorite characters and spend time with his mothe

See Full Page