“My favorite interest is fishing, that's like my number one thing,” Kaysen says.

The Portland teen spends a lot of time on the water.

“Fishing can take place in so many different places, all over the world and it allows me to experience new places, and I love it,” Kaysen says.

It even got him through the most challenging time of his young life, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2023 and underwent 30 rounds of chemotherapy.

“For outdoor activities during treatment it was fishing, tons of fishing,” Kaysen says. “Because I would sometimes forget what I was actually going through when I was fishing.”

He says fishing made him feel normal. So, when he got to choose a wish, he knew just what it would be.

“My wish is to learn how to fly fish in Montana,” Kaysen says.

This past summer, Kaysen and his family stayed at a ranch resort in Yellowstone, where a local guide took him to his favorite spots and taught him to fly fish.

For Kaysen’s mom, the trip was a chance to reflect and celebrate.

“You know, there are a lot of victories during chemo, but you don't get to really celebrate it because you're not feeling well and there is the physical and mental toll,” wish mom Stephanie says. “This is giving us a chance just to celebrate what we went through.”

His family also went on a sunset horseback riding excursion on the one-year anniversary of his cancer diagnosis, creating a new memory for that date.