This morning first responders with Everett Police, Everett Fire, Washington State Patrol and community members got together at Silver Lake Park in south Everett, Washington to provide a special send-off for a 7-year-old headed to Disneyland thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Here’s the story behind the event along with some photos from the sendoff.
Carson’s story –
Initially, Caron’s family thought he was going through growing pains. He was 3 years old when things suddenly started to seem amiss.
He broke his arm in March 2019. It took an unreasonably long time for it to heal. They went to the doctor to follow up. Initially they said, “it can take a long time for some kids to heal.” And so, they didn’t think anything of it. Soon after, doctors did an iron test. His levels were really low, so he started an iron supplement.
In July 2019, they noticed him sweating a lot, and he continued to complain of leg pain. Then one day they noticed a rash called petechia. Their pediatrician ran blood tests and told them they’d call the next day with the results.
That night they turned to Google and went down a rabbit hole. “We were in disbelief. We thought to ourselves, ‘It couldn’t be that. It can’t be cancer,’” said Amy, his mother.
An hour and a half later, they got a call. “You should go to Seattle Children’s,” is what their doctor said. “If it was my kid, I would go right now.”
They rushed to the hospital and after more tests, results came back. It was Aug. 25, 2019.
“We were sitting there in the hospital. He didn’t look sick. He didn’t act sick. Two doctors came into the room. It was gut punch,” said mom.
Carson was diagnosed with leukemia and immediately started treatment. It was long and arduous. He had to endure long hospital stays and grueling treatment.
“A lot of people don’t know how hard these kids fight,” said his mom. “It was jarring. There were days we wondered if we were going to make it out. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?”
During Carson’s time in the hospital he watched the movie Cars at least 300 times, said mom. He loves cars. “They are just his thing,” said mom. When Make-A-Wish came into their lives, the idea of a wish brought them hope and joy. Carson wished to go to Disneyland.
James Muramoto and Jessica Pal were Carson’s wish granters. They wanted to start his wish off in an amazing way, so they reached out to the community for help. They knew he loved cars, so they thought of a fun way to make cars a part of his wish. Their thoughtfulness really showed through today.
“They have been just amazing,” said mom.
Because of his love of cars, they arranged for the Everett Fire Department and Everett Police Department make Carson’s send off to Disneyland a celebration he’ll never forget.
Once the Everett community found out about Carson’s wish, they rallied around him and more and more people wanted to be involved.
The State Patrol, Aquasox mascot, Everett High School, Cascade High School, Silvertips Booster Club and more came out to celebrate Carson.
The family is driving to Disneyland for Carson’s wish.
“It takes a community to grant wishes,” said Melissa Arias, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington. “Today you saw that. The community came together to rally around Carson.”
Danny Rabelos with the Everett Police Department worked closely with James and Jessica, Carson’s wish granters, to organize the event.
To Danny, a wish is a dream come true. He said that’s why he wanted to be involved. “It was huge for us to be here. We wanted to be here to show him he has our love and support.”
Danny said community events like these are very important to him and his team.
“At Everett Fire, our mission is ‘We’re here for you,’ states Everett Fire Chief Dave DeMarco. “We want Carson and his family to know that they are not alone as they fight for his health. The Everett Fire family is honored to celebrate with Carson and his family as they begin their road trip to Disneyland and bring Carson’s Make-A-Wish dream a reality.”
Today, 7 year old Carson was jumping with joy. He said he’s most excited to ride ALL the rollercoasters on his wish trip.
If individuals want to be involved with Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington, they can visit our website. We are in dire need to volunteers, and we encourage people to join us in helping bring wishes to life.
October 21, 2023
Everett, Everett Fire, Police Blotter