Glastonbury Wish Kid Celebrates New Life in Hawaii

Sixteen-year-old Nate’s wish to go to Hawaii demonstrates the importance of family in times of uncertainty.
Nate’s battle with kidney disease has brought his family together in an extraordinary way. Nate needed a kidney transplant, and, without hesitation, his parents were tested to see if they could be matches. Remarkably, Nate’s father was a perfect match! Nate received his father’s kidney, strengthening their father-son bond in a way most people cannot imagine; his father was able to give Nate the gift of a new life. When asked what his one true wish would be, Nate knew immediately that he wanted to have his entire family together to celebrate the success of both his and his father's surgeries.
Due to an unforeseen medical issue, Nate’s father was delayed in joining his family in Hawaii, but this only made the father-son reunion sweeter. The highlight of Nate’s wish was when his father arrived and his wish fully came true: he was surrounded by the people he loves most. His wish to go to Hawaii extended far beyond a beautiful vacation filled with fun activities like ziplining and playing on the beach; it was a celebration of all that the Daly’s overcame as a family. Nate’s mom sees the beauty in the wish and recalled that “the most beautiful moment was when the six off us were in the water at the same time–just enjoying the simple pleasure of spending time together as a family.”
Nate’s wish had an enormous impact on Nate and his family. He and our wish kids teach us every day about resilience, overcoming obstacles and about the transformative power of hope. Unfortunately, Make-A-Wish Connecticut faces a record number of wishes waiting to be granted as a result of the recent need to postpone all wishes that involve travel due to the public and medical concerns of COVID-19. More than ever before, wishes need the support of individual and corporate donors to grant the wish of every eligible child. Learn more and help at ct.wish.org.

ABOUT MAKE-A-WISH CONNECTICUT
Make-A-Wish® Connecticut creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. They seek to bring every eligible child's wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and volunteers across the state currently grant nearly 250 wishes a year. Since 1986, Make-A-Wish Connecticut has granted more than 3,300 wishes to local children. For more information about Make-A-Wish Connecticut, visit ct.wish.org.