Make-A-Wish dream comes true for Austin teen
AUSTIN, Texas - A Corvette, for many, is a dream car. For Nicholas Johnson, it was a dream come true.
Nicholas was diagnosed with a Neuromuscular Disorder, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, when he was almost 2 years old. Now at 17 years old, the avid car enthusiast found himself at Covert Bee Cave, a Make-A-Wish sponsor.
"Every one of them have such different unique situations and what they're going through. So, you know, I've been doing it for about 10 years. It never gets old," said the dealership's general manager Mike Ishak.
Old, not fancy and new, is what Nicholas wanted. His wish is to ride in a classic 1969 Stingray. The ride was organized by the Central and South Texas Make-A-Wish foundation, and it involved a unique pit crew, the 12 Kings Car Club.
"He's obviously a car guy. I mean, when we drive these cars, we're the same age as he is. I mean, it's just in your blood. We watched until he got out of sight because I wanted to see what his reaction was," said Ron Roberts president of the Club.
The road trip through the Texas Hill Country lasted about an hour. Nicholas returned with a big smile on his face, and described the ride in the sports car as "bumpy."
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The hot rod ride for Nicholas is the 269th wish that Make-A-Wish has done this year. Looking back on 2023, so far, there have been some pretty cool wishes. A lot involve amusement parks. Other creative trips have been to Fashion Week in New York, and a recent meet up with billionaire financial guru Robert Smith.
"We've had one unique wish. We had a 15-year-old boy who is obsessed with vacuum cleaners. And this year we sent him and his family to Chicago, and they had an amazing trip to Chicago, where they were the guests at Dyson's factory, and he was signed on to be an engineer for the day," said Ann Jerome, CEO of Central and South Texas Make-A-Wish.
The local group provides about 300 wishes every year. The wish for Nicholas arrived on his birthday. His cake didn't need candles to make the wish to come true. That was done by a lot of volunteers, donors and love.
"You want to cry. So, one of his dreams is probably is to drive one. And sadly, I don't know if we'll ever get to have that happen. So having Make-A-Wish step in and saying, hey, yeah, we can make that happen, it's amazing," said Nicholas’ mom Jennifer Johnson.
A road trip, that is no longer wishful thinking, but is now a lasting memory.