September 20, 2020

HONOLULU, HI- In partnership with First American Title and local supporters, Make-A-Wish® Hawaii granted a 17-year-old Kapolei teen’s wish on Sunday. Mano, who is battling a brain tumor, wished to have a car makeover for his family heirloom vehicle, a 1992 Ford Mustang GT 5.0. Led by a police escort, nearly 50 vehicles, including show cars from local car clubs and those of volunteers and community supporters, drove past Mano’s Kapolei home Sunday afternoon to celebrate.

After an unexpected diagnosis with an invasive brain tumor two years ago, Mano and his father Manuel III began working on the Mustang together as a way to cope. Manuel III had purchased the vehicle when he was just out of school 27 years ago and went on to pass the car down to his elder son and finally to Mano. Mano viewed his wish to have a Mustang makeover, complete with a fresh coat of ruby red paint and new sound system, as a sign of hope for brighter days ahead and a return to life beyond illness.

Thanks to a generous donation from First American Title, Make-A-Wish Hawaii fulfilled Mano’s wish, presenting him with the final product this weekend. Mano and his family followed a custom map with links to messages from his wish granting volunteers and from Patsy Saiki, Hawaii State Manager for First American Title, announcing his car was ready for pickup. After receiving the keys at First American Title, Mano got back behind the wheel for a test drive around a cone course set up by SCCA Hawaii before returning home for the drive-by parade of supporters led by two officers from the Honolulu Police Department, District 8, Second Watch.

“Making Mano’s wish come true brought us closer together as a team and we are grateful to have been a part of the effort,” said Saiki. “We hope that we helped give Mano and his family a little more happiness and strength throughout their journey together.”

“It’s overwhelming—it’s so much excitement and joy,” said Mano, who is grateful to all who brought his wish to life. “It’s going to change my life for the better. Mahalo to everyone who’s been with me on my journey.”

Make-A-Wish Hawaii would like to thank First American Title for sponsoring this wish, as well as Jspec Kustumz LLC, Drag Tech Racing, SCCA Hawaii Region, Super Cars of Hawaii, the Honolulu Police Department, and the many community supporters and volunteers who made it possible.  

For more information about Make-A-Wish Hawaii, visit hawaii.wish.org.

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About Make-A-Wish Hawaii

Make-A-Wish® Hawaii creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We seek to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight their illness. Headquartered in Honolulu, Make-A-Wish Hawaii is considered one of the top charities in the state, with 76 cents of every dollar raised going directly toward granting wishes in Hawaii. One of the first local Make-A-Wish chapters established, Make-A-Wish Hawaii continues to be among the busiest in the nation. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 700 volunteers have granted nearly 1,500 wishes for children across the state of Hawaii since 1982 and have hosted more than 16,000 others for children around the world; the chapter granted 98 local wishes in 2019 alone. For more information about Make-A-Wish Hawaii, visit Hawaii.wish.org.