I wish to meet the stars of Knight Rider
J.D., wish granted in 1984
neuromuscular disorder
The wish that sparked more than nine thousand smiles
by Kali Sherman
In February 1984, the then-named East Bay Make-A-Wish Foundation granted the wish of 4-year-old J.D., setting the chapter on the road toward 9,500 wishes over the next 40 years.
Just a month prior, volunteers Don Arnold and Michelle Harris presented the need for a Bay Area Make-A-Wish chapter to 80 members of the local Rotary Club. They quickly recruited more like-minded supporters and together founded the chapter on January 30, 1984. Four days after having the office phone installed, it rang with the very first request for a wish.
wish kid J.D., 1984
J.D. couldn’t walk due to muscular dystrophy, which left him immobile from the waist down. J.D.'s mother, Ellen, and father, Leroy, raised him alongside his two older brothers, David and Robert, in Seaside, California.
A relative of J.D.’s, a resident of Denver, inquired with the Make-A-Wish Colorado chapter and asked if J.D. could be referred for a wish to a California chapter. Make-A-Wish Colorado then contacted Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area to see if they were ready for their first wish.
Within a few weeks, volunteers had interviewed J.D. and his family to determine his wish.
At the time, J.D. had a fascination for the acclaimed '80s NBC television show Knight Rider. In the show, actor David Hasselhoff plays the main character of Michael Knight, a police detective who fights crime with the help of the high-tech, artificially intelligent 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, named the Knight Industries Two Thousand, or KITT for short.
J.D. developed a fondness for cars because his father worked as an army mechanic at Fort Ord in Monterey Bay. Needless to say, KITT and its futuristic features captivated J.D.
"KITT not only maneuvers through streets but can go airborne, control itself, and talk with the driver," said J.D.'s mom, Ellen, during an interview in February of 1984. "In the world of the television show, J.D. doesn't have to have the ability to be mobile to drive."
In the world of the television show, J.D. doesn't have to have the ability to be mobile to drive.
Ellen
J.D.'s mom
So, when J.D. wished to meet the cast of his favorite show, Knight Rider, including KITT, the newly formed chapter sprang into action, calling in assistance from the Make-A-Wish Los Angeles chapter, which had been founded one year earlier. The LA chapter helped with logistics and communication with the television network, and even contributed funds for travel and accommodations for J.D. and his family.
In just three weeks, the chapters orchestrated J.D.'s wish. J.D. and his family were picked up in a non-talking, but still cool, limousine from their house in Seaside and transported to the San Jose airport for their flight to Los Angeles.
On J.D.'s wish day, the Make-A-Wish Los Angeles chapter orchestrated another limousine pickup, whisking J.D. and his family to Universal Studios to tour the set of Knight Rider.
The family spent all day on the set, watching the filming of the program and joining the cast for lunch. The highlight of J.D.’s wish day was, of course, when Hasselhoff took him and his brothers for a ride in KITT—J.D. even got to ride in the copilot's seat!
"It all went beautifully," noted Leroy in a 1984 interview. "David fell right in love with J.D., and of course, J.D. fell right in love with him."
J.D. on the set of Knight Rider with David Hasselhoff and KITT, February 1984.
J.D. and his brothers, Robert and David, and mom, Ellen, with David Hasselhoff on the set of Knight Rider.
It all went beautifully. David fell right in love with J.D., and of course, J.D. fell right in love with him.
Leroy
J.D.'s dad
The trip perfectly marked the end of the family’s time in California. Just a few weeks after J.D.'s wish, the family relocated to Colorado, hoping the dryer climate would benefit J.D.'s health.
In Colorado, J.D. became the honorary Boy Scout with Northglenn's Troop 471 and honorary junior police chief by the Thornton Police Department. J.D. lived until age 9 and lost his battle with the disease and passed away in 1989, just 5 years after his wish.
In 2019, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area reached out to J.D.’s parents in Colorado. Hearing from the chapter brought tears to Ellen’s eyes, she said. “It brings back all those memories. The wish was fantastic and J.D. just really enjoyed it. His wish meant a lot to us all.”