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Boy's granted wish blesses family, too
| Tuesday, Jul 22 2008 5:35 PM
Last Updated: Tuesday, Jul 22 2008 5:35 PM
The Magaña family had a special wish come true, thanks to Make-A-Wish Foundation.
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Omar Magaña is 17 years old and has had epilepsy since birth. Yolanda is the mother of this family and has been fighting her own battle with cancer for years. Marvin, her 14-year-old son, secretly applied online to Make-A-Wish Foundation on behalf of his brother and mother.
Make-A-Wish Foundation immediately contacted the family as a result of Marvin’s thoughtfulness.
Many things had to occur for the wish to be granted. Dr. Sue Yudovin from UCLA is Omar’s doctor. She signed releases for Omar to have his wish. She encouraged Omar to wish to watch his favorite team, the New York Yankees, play in New York.
The excitement began for the family at 4 a.m. June 3. They were picked up by a limousine that took them to Meadows Field. They arrived in New York at 6:30 p.m. New York time and were greeted by another limousine welcoming Omar Magaña. The limousine took them to the DoubleTree Hotel, which was in the middle of Times Square. The caring father, Julian, said that everything about the trip was wonderful, but the hotel was unbelievable.
On June 4, the family walked to the Empire State Building. Make-A-Wish Foundation made sure the Magañas had VIP passes everywhere they went. Sergio, the 10-year-old brother, had incredible knowledge of New York landmarks.
At 4 p.m. that same day, a limousine took the Magañas to Yankee Stadium along with Karen, the Make-A-Wish Foundation representative. The family was treated to a VIP tour. Marvin stated that Yankee Stadium was the highlight of the trip for him. He has always been a Yankee fan and he loved seeing the history, especially Monument Park.
Omar and Yolanda were taken to the Yankee dugout where they met the players and got autographs. For Omar, getting his picture taken with so many players was his highlight. He especially liked Robinson Cano because he spent a lot of time talking to him. Yolanda said that seeing Omar so happy and watching his dream come true was her highlight. She said that Alex Rodriguez is her favorite player and she enjoyed having her picture taken with him. Not only did the Yankees win that night, but Derek Jeter, who Omar had his picture taken with before the game, broke Mickey Mantle’s hitting record.
The following day, the family celebrated Omar’s birthday by visiting the Statue of Liberty. This was Sergio’s favorite part of the trip, besides the limousines. For dinner, Omar chose Cuban food for his birthday since none of them had ever had that kind of food.
On June 6 at 7 p.m. the family arrived home in their final limousine. The Magañas are so grateful for this unbelievable trip. Their lives have been greatly enriched by this wonderful experience, and they would like to thank all the people who made sacrifices for them to have a family wish come true.