A wish is the start of a journey...
Last year, Rees’ mom, Amanda, received the worst phone call a parent can imagine. Her son, Rees, at just 14 years old, had leukemia. The following days were a blur as Rees underwent a flurry of tests: CT scans, labs, bone marrow biopsy, lumbar spinal tap and more. Then, living at the hospital with him for six months, Amanda looked on helplessly as chemotherapy ravaged her son’ s body.
“ There was nothing I could do for his suffering,” she said.“ I didn’ t know what the future held for us.”
But Rees wasn’ t giving up without a fight. As an avid outdoorsman, lover of fishing and proud caretaker to his pack of chickens— Rees had a lot to fight for. With the loving support of his family, his incredible team of doctors and through his own sheer will, Rees beat his leukemia and rang the bell signifying the completion of his treatment on April 18, 2025.
And Rees knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate. In the fall, Make-A-Wish granted Rees’ wish to visit the Outer Banks of North Carolina for a 12-hour, deep sea fishing charter. Rees and his family boarded their fishing boat, the Spray, at 5 a. m., before the sun was awake. By 5 p. m., they had caught lots of fish— mostly blackfin tuna, some bonitos and even reeled in( but lost) a mahimahi. But Rees caught the most and the biggest fish of the day.
“ What an absolutely PERFECT day. The weather, the water, the fishing. We all had an amazing day at sea,” said Amanda.“[ Rees ] deserves the best after the year he has had.”
During treatment