This year something far more meaningful than a vacation or weekend getaway became part of our family story. After watching my father in law, Gordon, navigate the challenges of Parkinson’s and seeing his quality of life slowly change, I knew it was time to do something unforgettable, something that brought him joy in a way nothing else could. When I nominated him for a Wish of a Lifetime I hoped his lifelong dream of seeing the Chicago Cubs play in person might come true someday. I never imagined how quickly it would become real or how deeply it would impact all of us.

From the moment we learned his wish had been granted everything felt different. This was not just a trip to Wrigley Field, it was decades of hope, love and family all coming together in one experience. When we arrived in Chicago and stepped into the stadium it became clear that this was more than a bucket list moment. It was history for his family and a memory that will stay with us forever.

Watching Gordon walk into Wrigley Field with my husband and my son by his side was emotional in a way I was not prepared for. I have photographed other wishes through Wish of a Lifetime before, but being there for my own family and documenting something so deeply personal was beyond anything I could have imagined. His joy showed in every smile, every cheer, and every moment of disbelief as he took it all in. Capturing that on camera became one of the greatest honors of my life. I am tearing up again re watching this footage and reliving just how incredible that day was.

From a Lifelong Fan to a Once in a Lifetime Moment

Gordon has been a Chicago Cubs fan for as long as my husband can remember. Some of his favorite memories with his dad were watching games together at home and talking about players and stats like they were part of the family. One of the very first gifts he ever gave our son was a tiny Cubs outfit which now feels like such a full circle moment. To see the three of them walking into Wrigley Field together, all in their Cubs gear, felt bigger than baseball. It was pride, history, and love all wrapped into one experience. Even before the game started you could see how much it meant to him. He took everything in, from the scoreboard to the stands to the field, almost like he was trying to memorize it with every sense he had left. I do not think any of us were ready for how emotional it would feel to watch him live out a dream he carried for a lifetime.

The Joy of the Seventh Inning Stretch

One of the moments that will stay with me forever happened during the seventh inning stretch. As the whole stadium stood to sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame I looked over and saw my son and his grandpa standing arm in arm singing together like they had been waiting their whole lives for that exact moment. My husband was right there with them and I could feel generations of love in one song. It was simple and pure and so full of joy that it almost did not feel real. Watching my father in law sing that song in the stadium he had dreamed of visiting for decades while holding on to his grandson is something I will never forget. It was the kind of moment you cannot stage or script and I feel incredibly lucky that I was there not just to witness it but to capture it on camera for our family to keep forever.

A Game Made for a Wish Come True

As if being at Wrigley Field was not meaningful enough the game itself felt like a gift. The Cubs did not just win, they dominated with a 12 to 1 victory that had the entire stadium on its feet again and again. We were lucky enough to witness every single home run and even a grand slam which instantly became my son’s favorite moment of the entire day. The look on his face when that ball sailed out was priceless and the way he turned to his grandpa to cheer made it even more special.

Each time the ball flew over the wall Gordon lit up in a way I have not seen in years. My son jumped up and cheered beside him and my husband kept looking over at his dad almost in disbelief that they were there together for a game like this. The crowd was celebrating the music was blasting and every time the Cubs scored it felt like the universe was saying this day was meant for him. It was joy layered on top of joy and I could feel how much it meant to all three of them to be in that moment together.

The Honor of Documenting Our Family’s Wish

There are not many moments in life that stop you in your tracks and remind you how much good still exists in the world but this was one of them. I felt so much gratitude from the moment his wish was approved all the way through the final inning of that game. Gratitude that he was well enough to go. Gratitude that my husband and my son were there to experience it with him. Gratitude that I was able to stand behind the camera and in the moment at the same time.

I have photographed other wishes for Wish of a Lifetime over the years and I have seen the impact these experiences have on families but being on the other side of it gave me a whole new level of appreciation. They did not just give my father in law a trip to a baseball game. They gave our family a memory that will outlive all of us. They gave my son a core memory with his grandpa that he will carry into adulthood. They gave my husband a moment with his dad he did not know he would ever get. And they gave me the chance to document something our family will cherish forever.

I do not think I will ever be able to put into words how thankful I am but I hope this video and photos are even a small glimpse into the joy they helped create.

Why I Hope Others Will Nominate or Support a Wish

Being part of this experience opened my eyes in a way I was not expecting. You always hope your family members will have moments of joy later in life but you do not always know how to make that happen especially when health challenges begin to change what is possible. Wish of a Lifetime stepped in and gave our family something we could not have created on our own.

If you know someone who has carried a dream or a wish for years, someone who has given so much of themselves to others, or someone who simply deserves a moment of pure joy, I hope you will consider nominating them. It does not have to be something extravagant. Sometimes the wishes that matter most are the ones rooted in memory, connection, and meaning.

And if you are in a place to support Wish of a Lifetime in any way, I can promise your impact reaches far beyond the wish itself. It reaches children and grandchildren. It reaches caregivers and spouses. It reaches people like me who get to stand beside someone they love and watch a moment unfold that they will never forget. Helping even one wish come true has a ripple effect you cannot measure.

Living with Parkinson’s and Holding Onto Joy

Parkinson’s is something you do not fully understand until you watch someone you love live with it day after day. More than ten million people around the world are living with this disease and it looks different for everyone, but the decline is always heartbreaking to witness. For my father in law it has taken away so much of what he still has the desire to do. His mind still wants to build things and fix things and stay active. He still talks about projects and memories and ideas the way he always has, but his body cannot always keep up anymore.

This is a man who built their family home in Idaho by hand and only had help setting the roof trusses. He is the kind of person who shows love through effort and time and projects. Years ago he built pitching mounds in the backyard for his sons when they were little. To see someone like that, someone whose love language has always been creating and doing, lose pieces of his physical ability has been incredibly hard on all of us. The decline in recent years has felt fast and unforgiving and it is difficult to know how many experiences like this he will be able to enjoy in the future.

That is why this trip meant so much more than just a game. It gave us a version of him that feels harder to access lately. It gave him a day where his disease did not lead the moment. It gave my husband and my son a memory of him standing and cheering and smiling in a way that felt like him before Parkinson’s started taking pieces away. You cannot put a price on that.

A Wish We Will Carry With Us Forever

I will never be able to fully express what this experience meant to our family but I know we will hold onto it for the rest of our lives. To watch my father in law live out a dream he carried for decades and to see my husband and my son beside him for every moment is something I will always be grateful for. I am thankful I was able to be there in person and also document it through my camera so our family can return to these memories again and again.

My heart is full of gratitude for Wish of a Lifetime from AARP and for every person behind the scenes who made this possible. You did not just grant a wish, you gave us time, connection, and a moment where joy outweighed everything else. You gave my son a core memory with his grandpa. You gave my husband a day with his dad that he did not know if he would ever get again. And you gave me the gift of witnessing it all and preserving it for our family.

If sharing our story encourages even one person to nominate someone they love or support the mission of Wish of a Lifetime then this experience will continue to ripple out far beyond our weekend in Chicago. I hope this video offers even a glimpse into the impact you helped create. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.