I wish to go fishing in Alaska
Teigan
18
cancer
A Healing Escape: Teigan’s Wish to Visit Alaska
Growing up, Teigan has always been active and an avid lover of the outdoors. Whether he's going hiking in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, going fishing at dawn, or enjoying a game of frisbee golf; being outdoors has been a staple for Teigan.
But everything changed in the fall of 2022 when Teigan began to feel sharp, persistent pains in his leg. At first, doctors thought it was a common sports injury. However, when the pains continued, additional scans and labs revealed the devastating diagnosis. It was bone cancer.
Teigan underwent nine months of intensive treatments and procedures, including an amputation from the knee down. During that time, he lived at the hospital for three weeks a month. His parents took turns staying with him so one of them could be home with his little sisters.
During these difficult times, Make-A-Wish became a light at the end of the tunnel. Once they discovered that he qualified for a wish, Teigan instantly knew what he would wish for. He wanted to experience the great outdoors again. His wish? To go fishing in Alaska with his family! It was the perfect combination of his family's longing for togetherness and his passion for the outdoors.
“This trip gave us an opportunity to focus on family time and that is what we really needed,” shared Teigan’s mom, Ashlee. In Alaska, surrounded by the beauty and peace of nature, their family spent quality time with one another. " It gave us time together where we didn't have to worry about anything else.”
While visiting the beautiful state of Alaska, they embarked on numerous adventures to explore the great outdoors. From staying in Salmon Creek Cabins, to fishing on the Kenai River and boating along the coast on a wildlife expedition; Teigan and his family reveled in Alaska's famous wildlife
One highlight from their trip includes a fishing excursion with the Kenai River Trout Anglers, a longtime partner of ours in Alaska. For this excursion, they spent an entire day floating down the Kenai River fishing for Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Dolly Varden and more. “Once we got on the boat, we were already catching fish,” said Teigan. Teigan himself caught 5-6 fish on their excursion down the river.
Their next adventure was a 6-hour cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park with Kenai Fjords Tours. This tour takes you through the Kenai Fjords National Park and Resurrection Bay to experience the vast amount of wildlife that Alaska has to offer. "It was the best way to see Alaska," Ashlee shared. On their visit, they saw alpine water glaciers, breathtaking scenery and an abundance of wildlife including breaching humpback whales, seabirds and moose.
This trip was more than a simple outdoor excursion. For Teigan, it was a chance to find peace again. "It was great to finally feel like I wasn’t struggling,” he shared. “It felt peaceful for the first time in a long time. It was awesome to feel like that again.
Special thanks to Kenai River Trout Anglers, Kenai Fjords Tours, SeaTac Park, Red Robin, wish-granting volunteers Kevin Christopher Torres and Alejandro Roberto Vaca, and to our Adopt-A-Wish sponsor Washington Patriot Construction, LLC for making Teigan's wish possible.