Make-A-Wish Helps Second-Grader Fulfil Dream of Going to Disney World

A young second-grader found his dream fulfilled when Make-A-Wish and Just Like New Overspray worked together to send him to Walt Disney World.

Make-A-Wish and the Walt Disney Company are intimately connected. The company and the organization have been working together for years, and most recently, Disney Parks head Josh D’Amaro officially joined the board of Make-A-Wish America, expressing how it was an honor to represent the hundreds and thousands of Cast Members who make magic for people every day.

Related: A New Chapter for Disney and Make-a-Wish Might Be On the Horizon

In a similarly heartwarming tale, a young second-grader, Jace Matthews, will now fulfill his dream of going to the Walt Disney World Resort with his family. Matthews was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his spine at seven months old, but despite this diagnosis at a young age, he’s continued to live his life to the fullest. He made a point to tell WLBT that he was “going to go hang out with superheroes at Disney World.” Check out the video below of Jace Matthews finding out about this incredible event courtesy of Make-A-Wish.

“The specialist Day of my life.” That’s how 7-year-old Jace Matthews described today’s surprise…he found out he’s going to Disney World thanks to Make-A-Wish Miss. & Just Like New Overspray. pic.twitter.com/RX6gcCvSip

— Bill Snyder (@BillSnyderWLOX) February 16, 2023

The young one was particularly touched as he got the news with the help of his classmates; Matthews is a student at Ocean Springs High School. In the video and all recorded footage, we see football players, cheerleaders, and students all gathering to celebrate this special moment together with Jace Matthews.

“Every day I think it’s like a normal day, but today is a special day. Like, a really special day, like, the specialist day of my life,” Jace Matthews said on hearing about what Make-A-Wish would do for him.

Disney characters Mickey and friends at Magic Kingdom Park, Walt Disney World/Courtesy of Disney

In the Walt Disney Company and Make-A-Wish’s long history of working together, a lot of their work has involved the Disney Cruise Line. Other such stories show Disney going above and beyond for these Guests. In the past, Disney World has even celebrated Make-A-Wish by allowing current Cast Members who are Wish alumni, i.e., former wish recipients, to serve as Grand Marshals during Disney’s Festival of Fantasy Parade.

You can read more about Jace Matthews’s story with Make-A-Wish here!