MASON — Ryan Sanders, 11, comes to Kings Island every year. His favorite rides are Adventure Express and Vortex, he said without hesitation.

But for the Springfield resident, Kings Island is more than a summer treat. It’s the highlight of his year, his mother, Amy Sanders, said.

Ryan has an incurable mitochondrial disease that affects every organ system, and epilepsy and issues gaining weight. His mother had to pull him out of school because he missed so many days because of his illness.

It’s for kids like Ryan and their families that Ohio nonprofit organization A Kid Again hosts one of its largest annual events at Kings Island.

Tuesday’s outing brought more than 3,900 children with life-threatening illnesses and their families from Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus to the park for the 16th year. The event gives those affected a chance to forget their worries and be just like everyone else, said Jeffrey Damron, CEO of the organization.

A Kid Again, founded in 1995 as Adventures for Wish Kids Inc., hosts several events in its Ohio chapters. Last year, it helped 15,632 children and their families at 43 events.

The KI event in 2011 brought 4,004 children and their families to the park.

This year, the park waived admission and parking fees and gave families a picnic lunch and tickets to Dinosaurs Alive.

Kimberly Lovings of Centerville has come to Kings Island for six years with A Kid Again. Her daughter Kyra, 13, has cerebral palsy and a seizure disorder.

Kimberly watched her ride the Race For Your Life Charlie Brown log flume ride, which goes down a hill and splashes riders with water. Kyra’s favorite ride is the Woodstock Express, her mother said.

“It’s provided her great opportunities to have fun in between not-so-fun time,” Kimberly Lovings said.

The Huffman family of Dayton stood in line to be measured for height wristbands at a Planet Snoopy station. Renee Huffman said the kids — Sarah, 5, and Andrew, 3 — love coming to the park with A Kid Again. It was the family’s third year at the event.

Sarah is a cancer survivor and has Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, a rare genetic disorder in which part of her 18th chromosome is missing.

But both she and her brother were measured like everyone else. Sarah stood tall with her dad, Aaron, holding her up and received 36-inch wristbands.

“We have the ability to just be a family for a day,” Renee Huffman said. “It’s a day out to forget about anything else.”

Minutes later, the family climbed aboard the nearby Great Pumpkin Coaster with their parents. The coaster inched up the hill and Sarah flashed her dad a smile — one that was both terrified and overjoyed — as the ride zoomed down the bend.

Contact this reporter at (513) 483-5236 or beena.raghavendran@coxinc.com.