Julio
To Infinity and Beyond...
Julio is an outgoing and very talkative six-year-old boy who lives with his parents and younger brother in Chicago. Julio is a huge fan of cartoons, his favorites being Toy Story, Cars, and Transformers.
At birth, Julio was diagnosed with chronic lung disease. Since then, Julio has undergone eight surgeries, including one for his spinal cord and one for his kidney. Although Julio's scars show the struggles he has faced, he does not let this affect how his lives his life. He is always laughing and brings so much joy to his family. Julio wished to visit the Florida theme parks where he could meet the characters from his favorite movie, Toy Story.
For a full week, Julio and his family enjoyed the hospitality at Give Kids the World Village, a special resort designed just for children visiting through wish granting organizations. Every day was a new adventure as they went to different theme parks in the area where they enjoyed the rides, shows and meeting favorite characters.
The best part was meeting Buzz LightYear at a special Toy Story themed dinner. Julio posed with Buzz and Woody and had a smile that said it all.
"My whole family was with me and everyone was treated like VIP's," Julio said after his wish trip.
His family felt that the wish was an important experience for him because of all he has been through with his medical condition, surgeries and doctors. It was a time to focus on the fun things about being a kid instead of his disease.
"Everything was great," his parents wrote to Make-A-Wish after the trip. "It was a dream come true!"
You can help make wishes like Julio's come true by donating today.
Make-A-Wish does NOT solict donations through telemarketing or door-to-door.
