A 15-year-old boy from Hemet was gifted a trip to Honolulu with his family by Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire, officials said Sunday.
The group partnered with Ontario International Airport and Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation to grant Jacob’s wish of making memories with his family in Hawaii. The family will stay at the Disney Aulani Resort & Spa, visit Pearl Harbor, and snorkel.
Jacob suffers from cystic fibrosis and requires daily medicine and treatment.
“This is wonderful. It feels like a culmination — that we made it,” Jacob’s mother Jessica said as they awaited their boarding, according to airport officials. “Jacob’s been in the hospital many, many times, so for our family, to be here today, it means so much. We pushed through and made it together.”
The family arrived at the airport by limousine and were greeted by Make-A-Wish OCIE Chief Executive Officer Anne Grey, president of the Ontario International Airport Authority Board of Commissioners Alan Wapner, CEO of OIAA Atif Elkadi, airport officers and firefighters, and staff from Make-A-Wish OCIE and Yuhaaviatam.
Jacob and his family will spend five days in Hawaii thanks to a $450,000 grant from Yuhaaviatam to Make-A-Wish OCIE, which will help to fulfill at least 78 wishes for children battling critical illnesses in the Inland Empire.
“At Make-A-Wish, we believe in the power of a wish to bring hope, strength, and joy during the most challenging times,” Grey said. “Thanks to the generosity of Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation and the partnership of Ontario International Airport, Jacob’s dream is now a beautiful reality — and a reminder of what’s possible when a community comes together to uplift a child.”