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

Since his diagnosis, Blaze experienced many lengthy hospital stays and surgeries, including a heart transplant in 2023. He recovered well 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 and his parents 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, Jaguars quarterback, Trevor Lawrence.

Through the generosity of Fanatics, who is the official sports partner of Make-A-Wish America, Blaze was surprised with team gear from the Fanatics Shop. The family enjoyed sideline passes and tickets for the game against the Tennessee Titans. In addition to all the football fun, they fit in a trip to the Jacksonville Zoo to see a real-life jaguar, much to Blaze’s delight.

Watch a video of Blaze's Wish

“[The wish] was amazing! Blaze had a blast,” Angela shared and added that she and Rick choked up several times just watching Blaze and his excitement. "Honestly, we’ve been blown away.”

This football season no doubt brings back the excitement of his wish as Blaze looks back on his photos and mementos of time spent with his family and his favorite football team.