Newfound confidence on the court

Isaiah was born into a “basketball family.” He looks up to his cousins, who are all-star basketball players, and enjoys being courtside at their games with his family. The whole family loves gathering together to root for their favorite NBA team, the Golden State Warriors.

Isaiah has cerebral palsy, which has weakened the muscles on the right side of his body. He also has epilepsy, leading him to have uncontrolled seizures. Luckily, he can still play basketball, his favorite sport, even with his right-sided weakness. The sport has become his main release from his illness and biggest passion. Not only does playing give him a sense of connection to his family, but it allows him to feel free to be himself.

Isaiah has lived with his condition since he was two years old. As he approached his teenage years, he began to recognize how he differed from his peers and became more self-conscious and introverted. "He doesn't like too much attention on himself," says Isaiah's mom, Kim. "He likes to blend into the background and not be noticed."

Unfortunately, Isaiah has been bullied in the past and now feels self-conscious about playing the sport he loves in front of his peers. His biggest fear is having a seizure on the court in front of his classmates, and it deters him from playing at school.  

When Isaiah found out he would receive a wish, he approached the decision deliberately. He wanted to make sure he considered all his options and made the right choice for himself. His mom asked him, "What's something that will make you happy; something special to you that you can value forever?" 

"This wish was a big deal," says Kim. "Isaiah's life has been full of doctor appointments, assessments, and occupational and physical therapy treatments, and we never received any special help. We've always had such bad luck and had to work hard to plan for programs and services. He's never had an opportunity like this, so I wanted him to think his wish through thoughtfully."

Isaiah wanted a judgment-free place to play basketball—a place that felt safe and close to his family in case of an emergency. After thinking it all through, he knew that a backyard basketball court was the perfect wish.

To bring this backyard transformation to life, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area called in generous partners Truebeck Construction and Goodfellow Bros., who worked closely together in mapping out the logistical design and construction of the court. 

The production took several site visits and months of planning from both crews and preparing the backyard for concrete. Goodfellow Bros. brought in their expertise in excavation, grading, site preparation and leveling while troubleshooting soil erosion challenges and weather complications. Once finalized, the excellent team at Truebeck Construction laid down rebar and concrete formwork, poured concrete for the court, leveled, and finished the concrete, and then installed the adjustable basketball hoop.

As an addition, 2K Foundations matched Isaiah with a designer from NRG Experiential to create a custom court design to Isaiah’s exact specifications. Isaiah and the designer, Qin Mobley, had several Zoom calls to discuss Isaiah's favorite colors, designs, and special quotes. Together they created a design that reflected Isaiah's unique story. 

For Isaiah, the most important part of the design was to incorporate purple and green to raise awareness of his conditions. Purple represents epilepsy, and green represents cerebral palsy. Of course, the design wouldn’t be complete without a stencil of a yellow Bay Bridge to represent his favorite team, the Golden State Warriors. Once finalized, Creative Paving Solutions, an additional partner, flew in from Tempe, Arizona, to treat the concrete and bring Isaiah's design to life with weather-resistant paint.

While the court was being built, Isaiah injured himself playing basketball at school. He dislocated his knee and fractured his femur. "It was very traumatic and embarrassing for him," says Kim. "His biggest fear came true, and it took a lot for him to overcome that, but this court helped him through it." The court became his motivation. Basketball exercises were built into his physical therapy, helping him build strength to heal.  

On the day of the wish celebration, Isaiah was surrounded by his family and friends, partners from Goodfellow Bros. and Truebeck Construction, and Make-A-Wish staff and volunteers. As the crowd cheered, Isaiah cut the ribbon to officially open his court, then turned around and sank a free throw! 

"Isaiah has never really felt deserving," says Kim. "He's never felt special, no matter how much we try to show him. All the work and effort that went into this wish and support from family and friends helped him see that he is important. It made him feel special."

A huge highlight for Isaiah was meeting Ronnie 2K with 2K Games, Inc. "Ronnie 2K was a big deal for Isaiah, and he felt starstruck that Ronnie 2K even knew about him," says Kim, "I've never seen Isaiah so excited and chatty in my life! Shy and quiet, Isaiah couldn't stop talking to him. I was shocked." 

Isaiah now plays on his court daily and has built back his strength from his injury. He has a safe place to practice his skills free of judgment and fear. He's even building up the courage to try out for his high school basketball team, which is something he's always had his heart set on.  

"Isaiah's been participating in basketball at school with no issues or anxiety," says Kim. "He even made a shot at half-court, and all the students were so happy for him. He's been practicing so much at home that he developed a newfound confidence and has finally opened up to playing basketball with his peers." 

Thank you, Truebeck Construction and Goodfellow Bros., for helping make wishes like Isaiah's come true.