Fifteen-year-old Gregorio’s wish all started with a commercial. His aunt was watching television and saw an ad for the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® . Knowing that her nephew had a life-threatening illness, she asked Gregorio if he would like to have a wish granted. He did. After being referred, Gregorio soon received a call from the Foundation.

The high school sophomore explained his passion for tennis to wish granters with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Wyoming. Gregorio is a player himself and hopes to compete at the collegiate level some day. He wished to attend the U.S. Open in New York City with his best friend and doubles partner, James. UAW-GM stepped up to sponsor the wish, which was granted during the late summer.

A local GM dealer drove Gregorio – along with his aunt Verity, uncle Pete, younger cousin Elijah, and classmate James – from Wyoming to the airport in Colorado. The group flew to New York City for the world-famous tennis tournament, which, coincidentally, was also attended by two other wish kids – one from Australia and another from Chicago.

Gregorio jumped headfirst into the whole U.S. Open experience, which is far more than just tennis matches. He toured the stadium and played games at a tennis exhibit. He also attended some of the U.S. Open’s matches.

Gregorio also watched female stars Venus and Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport practice. He went went to tennis legend John McEnroe’s book signing and took pictures, then met the president of the United States Tennis Association. For souvenirs, the president gave him a hat, an oversized tennis ball, a bag and three shirts with the U.S. Open logo. Gregorio also bought a new racket.

While there, the group also visited several other sites, including the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Central Park, and Ground Zero. They also rode on the Staten Island Ferry and saw Bon Jovi perform at a football game.

Overall, Gregorio was very appreciative of his Make-A-Wish^® adventure and conveyed his thanks in a letter to the Wyoming chapter. He wrote, “I was very happy to have gone and just being there was the most exciting part of it all.”