A Tropical Wish for Colin!

Posted by Wishmaster on October 4, 2011

For 5-year-old Colin, bravery extends far past that first night sleeping without a nightlight or checking under the bed for mysterious monsters. His bravery is being a child facing a very grown up illness, acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

When Colin’s adoring parents, Jennifer and Keith, contacted Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Suffolk County they were hoping to give their shy yet bright-eyed son a special gift to make his exhausting treatment more bearable. Above all, they wanted to see their son, who has endured so much pain, smile.

After Colin was presented with the opportunity to have a wish granted, he cheerfully chose a family trip to the Atlantis Resort in the tropical Bahamas. His wish was to experience something that so many children dream of—swimming with dolphins!

The trip to the Bahamas, taken halfway through Colin’s treatment, was a rare chance for the entire family to simply relax, escape from the everyday and take pleasure in the company of loved ones.

Colin’s family felt that this special trip halfway through treatment would renew Colin’s spirit and give him the strength to get through the second half.

“We thought it was important to give Colin normalcy,” said Jennifer. “It was an amazing, amazing experience.”

During their extraordinary trip to Atlantis, Colin’s family enjoyed lounging in the sun by the many pools, visiting the colorful marine life at the aquarium, and most of all, seeing their son smile. Colin fulfilled his wish of swimming with the dolphins and spent hours playing in the children’s water park!

Colin’s wish trip to Atlantis served not only as a rejuvenating force to the courageous 5-year-old, but to his whole family, who have been with him every step of the fight.

“Truly,” said a tearful Jennifer. “I have not seen my son smile as much as he did in those seven days.”