From our friend Forrest from Make - A - Wish Wisconsin; check out the video below
Nick and his family arrived fromSan Diego and headed to the historic Pfister hotel where they stayed in the Presidential Suite! Mom couldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was! On their free day, they went to the lakefront and met up with family who live in the area. Their family showed them around Milwaukee, and they went to Leon’s custard, despite the cold!
Wish Day Part One was full of wonderful moments. The family was limo’d from their hotel to the Al McGuire center. Nick was greeted with a sign, then a great tour of the hang out area, offices, practice court, rehab center and locker room, where a jersey was waiting for him with his own number! He also toured the weight room where all the players were lifting. Every single player came over to introduce themselves and welcome them. Nick was able to talk to Markus for a bit and they hit it off right away! They then went to the practice court. During practice, head coach Steve Wojciechowski and others came up to Nick and spent time getting to know him and his family. They watched practice and then Nick and Markus played HORSE!! They really enjoyed themselves; a friendship was forming.
Markus gave each family member their own swag bag. Nick got a signed Markus Howard jersey, a basketball signed by the whole team, shoes, a hat and a backpack filled with clothes and more!
Wish Day Part Two Nick and his family went to the Al McGuire Center and were escorted to pregame practice, watching them do drills/shoot around while several players and coaches came over to talk to Nick and welcome him back. After pregame practice, they enjoyed a special breakfast with the team. In addition to all the regular, great breakfast goodies, the chef made Nick a big steak! Everyone else was jealous!
Next stop was the Fiserv Forum, where they got a personal tour and backstage access. They had courtside seats; watched warmups and met Markus’ mom and girlfriend. Marquette ended up with the win and upset #10 Villanova! It was a thrilling game and Nick enjoyed every moment. When the game was over, Nick headed to the locker room to celebrate with Markus and the team. Markus gave him a pair of basketball shoes - and his phone number so they could meet up again once the season was over! Even the Villanova coach stopped and chatted with Nick.
Nick certainly felt like a star. He and his family were “over the moon happy!”