Blaze is a 7-year-old boy from Peoria, Illinois. Diagnosed at birth with a rare congenital heart defect, he spent the first seven months of his life in the pediatric intensive care unit. There, he met Rick and Angela, his medical foster parents. Soon, Blaze would become a permanent member of their family when they decided to adopt him.

Since his diagnosis, Blaze experienced many lengthy hospital stays and surgeries, including a heart transplant in 2023. He recovered well from and is currently doing great health-wise. Blaze loves sports, especially football, so when he learned about Make-A-Wish, he knew what he wanted to wish for: to meet the Jacksonville Jaguars, his favorite team.

Make-A-Wish arranged for Blaze, Rick, and Angela to travel to Florida last winter. Blaze’s wish with the Jaguar’s included several surprises from the team, including attending the team practice, hanging out with some players, and having lunch with his favorite player, Jaguar quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.

Through the generosity of Fanatics, who is the Make-A-Wish America’s “Official Sports Partner”, Blaze and his family were surprised with Jaguar gear from the Fanatics Shop. The family enjoyed sideline passes and tickets for the game that weekend against the Tennessee Titans. In addition to all the football fun, they even fit in a trip to the Jacksonville Zoo to see a real-life jaguar, much to Blaze’s delight.

Angela, Blaze’s mother said that “It [the wish] was amazing! Blaze had a blast!” and added that she and Blaze’s father Rick “choked up several times just watching Blaze and his excitement. Honestly, we’ve been blown away.”

Back in his bedroom in Peoria, Blaze now has many Jaguar’s mementos to remind him of his wish and keep him inspired for years to come.