RivCo Boy With Cystic Fibrosis Wish Granted: Family Is Aulani Bound

HEMET, CA — They say a dream is a wish your heart makes, and for one Hemet family, that dream became a reality this week.

Sunday, a 15-year-old Hemet boy, thanks to a wish granted from Make-A Wish, the Ontario International Airport, and the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation, with some Disney magic thrown in, winged his way to the Disney Aulani Resort & Spa in Hawaii. There, he will also visit Pearl Harbor and learn how to snorkel, they said.

Jacob suffers from cystic fibrosis and requires daily medicine and treatment.

His mother, Jessica, shared her thoughts on arriving to the airport for the journey.

"This is wonderful. It feels like a culmination -- that we made it," she 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 means so much. We pushed through and made it together."

The family arrived at the airport by limousine and was 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.

The grant 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."