When questioned by volunteers with the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of East Tennessee, 11-year-old Elijah had a clear vision of his wish, right down to the transportation. Elijah wished to go to Legoland in California, but much of the fun would come from getting there and returning home. The Lego fan requested an airplane ride to San Diego (with a limousine ride to the Knoxville airport), but he wanted to come back to Tennessee in a sleeper train with his family. With sponsorship from UAW-GM and assistance from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego, the generous wish granters at the East Tennessee chapter gave him all that and much more.

Elijah – along with mom Beth, dad Eric, and older sister Ericka – flew to San Diego, where they checked into their downtown hotel. The family had plenty of space to relax with their two bedrooms, living room and kitchen. For the next five days, Elijah saw the very best of San Diego, including the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the San Diego Bay and the all-important Legoland. He also toured Harbor Island, Shelter Island, Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Base Point Loma (a submarine base) and the San Diego-Coronado Bridge.

As a big fan of western movies, part of Elijah’s wish was tracing the steps of cowboys by traveling back to Tennessee in a sleeper train. The family rode the rails across the American Southwest and into the Deep South, with stops in Los Angeles, New Orleans and Greenville, South Carolina.

When they reached the end of their journey, there was one more piece of excitement in store. Elijah attended a party thrown by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, UAW-GM and local General Motors dealers at his favorite restaurant, Chuck E. Cheese’s. There, Elijah shared photos and stories of his adventures.