Meet Colin

Meet Colin, an energetic 10-year-old with a passion and soaring talent for hockey. Colin loves playing outside and is often shooting hoops on the basketball field or monkeying around on the playground. However, Colin’s favorite activity is playing hockey. After a long day of passing the puck on the ice, you might find this guy propped up in front of the TV, sipping down a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup, and curling up with his family to watch NHL or his favorite movie, Monsters Inc.

What you might not guess about this active kiddo is that Colin was diagnosed with leukemia in 2018, a week before Thanksgiving. This diagnosis was devastating to Colin and his family, but luckily this family knows how to put up a good fight. Colin has undergone multiple grueling chemo treatments over the last two years, some sessions as close as ten days apart.

Colin’s one true wish is to attend hockey camp at Gretzky Hockey School in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. The camp is known to be one of the premier hockey experiences for youth hockey players of all ages and is run by Wayne Gretzky’s son, Ty. As Colin’s truest passion, he had dreamed of being able to attend the camp and thanks to Make-A-Wish and the Coeur d’Alene Hockey Association (CDAHA), that wish came true.

The family had a difficult time describing how incredible the experience was. Colin was provided a specific program around his skill level that included instruction for individual skill, strength and knowledge of the game. He learned training habits that will stay with him throughout his athletic career and met people who were both supportive and constructive in his development as a player and person.

The highlight of the entire camp, however, was when Colin and his family were invited to privately meet Wayne Gretzky on the golf course. Joining Gretzky was his wife Janet Jones, along with former NHL player, Jeremy Roenick, and former NFL quarterbacks, Mark Rypien and John Elway.

Southwest Medical Part of OptumCare

25TH ANNIVERSARY PARTNER

“The trip was absolutely amazing,” said Colin’s dad. “Colin did not want to come home. Thank you for everything, it was absolutely incredible. This will be hard to ever top for our family.”

The team at Southwest Medical part of OptumCare is all about being a valued part of our community, putting the health of their patients above all. So, when their team had the opportunity to be a part of Colin’s wish reveal, they made sure that he was the star of the show. They put together a basket filled with Colin’s favorite things and showed up at the hockey rink to surprise him.

For over 50 years, Southwest Medical has worked diligently to improve health care in Nevada and in the Las Vegas community. We are proud that they not only show up for their community on site, but also outside of their offices as well. The company has been offering their support to Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada since 2016 – from partnering on events like Walk for Wishes to adopting wishes like Colins’. We are so grateful for their support.