Since the day he was born, Jonathan has carried a quiet determination, says his mom, Regina. Arriving at just 24 weeks and weighing only a pound and a half, he spent the first five and a half months of his life in the NICU. “A teeny tiny little thing … literally fighting to live every single day,” Regina recalls.   

When his parents finally brought him home to Los Altos, Jonathan still relied on supplemental oxygen, monitors, and round-the-clock care. Regina and his dad, Ben, would even trail behind him with an oxygen tank as he learned to walk. “At that point, we kind of thought we were getting out of the woods finally, after a pretty terrifying first year,” Regina says.   

Their relief was short-lived. One day, while changing Jonathan’s diaper, Regina noticed a lump on his stomach. A trip to the doctor and imaging revealed hepatoblastoma—Jonathan had stage 4 liver cancer.   

He immediately began chemotherapy at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford and eventually required a full liver transplant. Ben donated part of his own liver to save his son’s life. Again, Jonathan pulled through.  

“It was daily doctor's appointments,” Regina remembers. “He was young enough that he doesn't remember this stuff, but I think that's where he gets his grit from.”  

When Jonathan was 7, he faced yet another medical emergency: scar tissue from his transplant caused his intestine to twist, requiring urgent surgery. This time, he was old enough to understand what was happening.   

“That opened my eyes to the world of medicine,” Jonathan reflects. “To see how people took care of me and realize how I would like to take care of other people.”  

For Jonathan, regular blood tests, hospital visits, and being extra cautious when sick became a part of life. So did the challenges that came with his medical history, including partial hearing loss from chemotherapy that affected his experience at school and social interactions. Still, Jonathan handled each challenge with his characteristic determination.   

“He’s always just shaken it off,” Regina says. “He’s like, ‘I’m going to make up for it by working five times as hard as everyone else.’”  

“I thought, let me get more interested in medicine, so I'm not confused—or a victim of what I don’t know,” Jonathan adds. “Learning more about myself helped me understand where the doctors were coming from. It all felt more real.”  

Jonathan’s curiosity around medicine only grew, and he set his sights on becoming a doctor or surgeon himself one day. As a junior in high school, he began researching summer internships related to medicine, especially at nearby Stanford University. He was particularly drawn to the Stanford Anesthesia Summer Institute (SASI), an immersive, on-campus program where high school students learn from Stanford Medicine faculty through hands‑on clinical training, leadership development, and personal mentorship. “I always saw it as the internship,” he says. “The one that was really hard to get into.”  

When Jonathan was referred for a wish in 2024, SASI immediately came to his mind. “I asked Make-A-Wish, ‘What do I need to do to make this wish possible?’ and they said, ‘We can't help you get in, but if you do get in, we can help pay for it,’” he says. “So, I worked hard. It took at least three months of essays, letters of recommendation... everything. And I got in.”  

After Jonathan did his part, Make-A-Wish stepped in to provide tuition support, and Jonathan embarked on an unforgettable summer. 

First, for his wish celebration, Jonathan got the opportunity to connect with Genentech—the Bay Area-based biotech company and Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area partner that adopted his wish. He met employees and learned about the many roles they play in the medical field. “They were all really cool,” he says. “They shared their stories, explained what they do, and gave me their contact info in case I ever need anything. It was really nice of them—they’re definitely a great resource for me.”    

Then, he was off to Stanford. “Being on campus made it so interactive,” he says. “There were lectures from doctors, surgeons, psychologists—so many different people.”   

Throughout the summer, Jonathan practiced suturing, performing intubation, inserting IVs, drawing blood, reading x-rays, and more! “All the fun stuff,” he says, smiling.   

One of his favorite parts was learning to read EKG lines. “Now, at doctor's appointments, when they check my blood pressure, I know what all the lines mean,” he says. “It's pretty cool.”   

He also learned about colleges, pre-med programs, medical school tracks, and the different degrees he might pursue in the future.    

“Thanks to Make-A-Wish, I had the experience of a lifetime,” he says. “It helped me connect me with people that I hope to be like one day.”  

For Regina, the impact of Jonathan’s wish was unmistakable. “His wish let him fully participate in the program and gave him a chance to be more independent,” she beams. “He’s grown into this independent, self-assured, hard-working young man—and in so many ways, this experience highlighted that.”  

Today, Jonathan is in his junior year, competing with his high school swim and dive team and participating in pre-med club. With his summer experience strengthening his confidence in his choice to pursue a future in medicine, he’s also taking courses at the local community college alongside his high school classes.

Jonathan wasn’t the only one who gained assurance from his wish experience. “For him, it was life-changing,” Regina says. “And for us, as parents, it showed us that maybe he really can go away from home, and he’ll be okay.”

Thank you, Genentech, for making wishes like Jonathan's come true!