Sunnyvale boy feels ‘like a rock star’ after Make-A-Wish trip – NBC Bay Area

It’s Giving Tuesday, a global movement encouraging people to give back to charities and help in their communities. NBC Bay Area takes the time to highlight the work of our local Make-A-Wish chapter: Make-A-Wish of the Greater Bay Area. We sat down with a South Bay family to learn what a difference making a wish come true can make.

At Sunken Gardens Golf Course, 10-year-old Edison Wu of Sunnyvale has been working on his golf game for the past few months

“I’ve gotten pretty good, I guess,” Edison remarked.

Like many children his age, Edison is curious and has a long list of hobbies.

“I enjoy playing golf and taekwondo,” Edison said.

“And I’m in the Boy Scouts too, I love camping and the customs are pretty good there,” he added.

His parents said it was hard to tell from Edison’s cheerful disposition how much he had been through.

“He was really a soldier, we’re really proud of him,” said Edison’s mother, Shari Shimizu.

Edison was born with a rare congenital heart defect: pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum (PAIVS). He has had three open heart surgeries, the first when he was just two days old.

Edison’s father, Eddie Wu, explained that the surgeries effectively rerouted the “wires” in Edison’s heart.

“The blockage and reinstallation left half of his heart unused, so he is essentially a child with a half-working heart,” Eddie noted.

This means Edison gets out of breath more quickly than other children his age and has to limit some of his activities. That’s also why his parents introduced him to less strenuous activities like golf.

“He’s doing as well as he can right now, which is probably the hardest part: not knowing what the future will look like for him,” Shari said.

Edison applied and received his wish from Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area. He always wanted to visit the theme parks in Florida, so Make-A-Wish organized a trip for him and his family to Disney World and Universal Studios.

During the flyover, the pilots let Edison inspect the cockpit and then called out to him over the loudspeaker.

“I was so amazed and it was like the best day of my life when I went to Florida,” Edison remembers.

Edison said the hotel, parks and rides were even better than he imagined.

“They gave me this pass and it was like I could drive in all the passing lanes and it was so great,” Edison said, marveling at how often he could drive his favorite rides.

Aside from the adrenaline rush, Edison’s mother, father and younger sister say the trip gave everyone shared memories that will last a lifetime.

“Seeing Edison so happy made him feel like a rock star the whole time we were there – and he rightfully is,” Edison’s mother said.

“Before I did (the Wish trip), I thought I was the underdog, but now that I’ve been to Disneyworld and all the theme parks in Orlando, I thought, ‘It’s pretty good to be a heartfelt,'” noted Edison.

This holiday season, Edison’s family hopes you will consider granting wishes for other children. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area is celebrating its 40th anniversary. The nonprofit organization grants approximately 300 wishes annually for children with serious illnesses in 17 counties in Northern California.

“I was blown away by what they came up with and how special they made the children feel,” Edison’s father remarked.

This holiday season, Edison and his family are reminiscing in Florida. Edison said knowing how many people are in his corner strengthens his drive to keep moving forward.