At age 10, Ben was significantly underweight for his age. He began experiencing mysterious foot pain, then fevers. Initially, the doctors thought it was tendonitis but, after more tests, the news came—Ben had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

“Nothing can prepare you for something like that,” says his mother, Wendy. “It felt like we were driving along on the freeway and someone took our car away, and we just stopped.”

Ben received regular chemotherapy and made constant hospital visits, yet he was always joking around, making the nurses laugh.

“No person should have to deal with that, let alone a child,” says Wendy. “But he always was still funny and positive.”

When the family learned that Ben would be eligible for a wish, Ben’s thoughts turned to baseball. “I’ve been playing baseball since I was five or six years old,” he says. “I’d been a fan of the Giants and the A’s growing up, and the Giants were just coming off multiple championships.”

Ben wished to meet legendary Giants catcher and hitter Buster Posey. “He perseveres and was just a good leader for the team, even when they weren’t doing too well,” Ben explains.

When the big day arrived in April 2017, a limo whisked Ben, Wendy, his dad Ian, and younger sister Morgan to what was then AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) to watch the Giants play the Arizona Diamondbacks. Buster Posey had a concussion from being hit by a pitch, but that didn’t stop him from meeting Ben before the game, who had made him a get-well card.

“It was surreal,” Ben says. “I vividly remember walking into the room and him just being there, and the smile on my face.”

Ben and his family were invited up to a suite, where they saw a “Welcome, Ben” banner and lots of food.

Ben even got to throw out the first pitch. He was beaming as he ran out to the mound. “He hadn’t smiled in quite some time, because it was a pretty tough year,” Wendy says.

“It was fantastic,” adds Ben who, despite his small size, wowed the crowd with his pitch. “Growing up, I had a ridiculous arm, so I was fairly confident that I would get it at least halfway to the plate.” In fact, Ben got the ball all the way to the plate.

“Someone from Make-A-Wish was with us, and I probably started crying at some point, and she had her arm around me,” Wendy says. “My daughter was on the field with us, so she was included, which was really important because it’s tough for the sibling too.” Ben and Morgan also got to kick off the game by announcing, “Play ball!”

Ben received Giants swag signed by Buster Posey, who spent time alone with the family. “He’s a really nice person,” Wendy says, “He and his wife have a charity for pediatric cancer awareness, and he has kids. You could tell that you’re talking to someone who knows how to talk to kids.” Ben even got one of Buster Posey’s official bats, emblazoned with Posey’s name.

He went back to his life with treasured memories, photos of the day, and memorabilia.

Today, Ben is a healthy 20-year-old attending culinary school at Contra Costa College. He dreams of becoming a full-time chef. “He’s really dedicated to cooking,” Wendy adds. “It’s been so impressive—he’s truly found his passion.”

Ben’s wish brought joy during one of the family’s hardest moments, and its impact still resonates. “We got to just be a family at a baseball game,” Wendy says. “It's been almost 10 years, but we still talk about it like it was yesterday. We still can’t believe it happened.”

“Everyone involved did it out of the pureness of their heart to help a kid like me fulfill his wish,” Ben says. “So, thank you.”

Wendy, whose aunt volunteers with Make-A-Wish New Jersey, encourages more people to donate and get involved in the mission. She understands firsthand the impact a wish can have on a child and family. “Thank you to the Giants and to all the volunteers,” she says. “It was really the highlight of our year.”