I wish to go to Catalina Island
Leo
6
heart disease
A Catalina Island trip helps a family worry less and feel normal
Leo is a shy but playful little boy who loves spending time with his parents and three brothers. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him play these days—so energized and happy—that he’s had five operations on his heart, the first one an astonishing eight days after he was born.
Gilberto's father says, "We’ve been through a lot since he was born." Leo’s been in and out of the hospital most of his young life. He hasn’t been able to do the things a normal 6-year-old wants to do—like travel or ride on a boat or play basketball with his brothers.
When Leo’s cardiologist referred Leo and his family to Make-A-Wish, Leo knew right away he wanted to go somewhere fun with his whole family.
Leo decided to take a family trip to Catalina Island where he could see a real ship and go to the beach. For the trip, the family of six drove to Los Angeles and took a ferry to Catalina Island. They enjoyed a week of fun activities like mini-golfing and pedal boating. One of the highlights was seeing the Queen Mary. Although they were unable to ride on it due to COVID restrictions, Leo was so happy to see the big ship on the water for the first time.
After his surgeries and pulling through pandemic times, Leo started his first year at school and his parents say he is doing much better. “If people see him, he doesn’t seem like he has heart disease. He’s running, he plays, he doesn’t get tired. He’s normal,” his mother Karla said.
Not just for Leo, but for the whole family, the wish trip was a reminder that things could get back to normal.
“The trip was something good that took us out of the worrying about Leonardo and all the problems,” says Gilberto. “Of course, the problems are not going to be solved by a trip, but it made us forget about all the difficulties we went through as a family in the early years of Leonardo. And it reminded us that Leonardo is a normal kid now. That was good closure for us as a family.”
For now, Leo doesn’t need a heart transplant, his five surgeries are keeping him healthy and active, and he sees his doctor regularly for checkups. He hopes his wish trip to Catalina Island is just the beginning of many family adventures.
