Stuart (Stu) is a 7-year-old true blue Toronto Maple Leafs fan. His wish was to see the Leafs play on home ice and meet some of his favourite players. Thanks to the generosity of the Princiotta Group, Make-A-Wish^® Eastern Ontario was able to send Stu and his family to Toronto in November  2006 for a memorable Leafs weekend.

Stu was very fortunate to have a wish grantor from the Toronto Chapter of Make-A-Wish guide him through his wish.  “The concierge at the Hyatt was kind enough to let me into the room before the family arrived”, explains Kelly, Stu’s Toronto wish grantor. “I laid out a gift basket for Stu with his favourite chocolates and some other edible goodies, and tons of Maple Leaf paraphernalia! I also included a foil balloon of batman and I laid out his personalized jersey. Then I was off to meet the family at the train station. Stu and his brother came running over when they saw me standing there with the sign that said: "Welcome to Toronto Stuart!! Go Leafs Go!" ...and my gosh, they talked a mile a minute! They were very excited about the weekend adventures to come.”

On Saturday, Stu headed off to the Air Canada Center (ACC) and the boys loved the subway ride. Tanya from the Leafs Foundation gave the family a tour of the ACC and then it was time for the practice skate. The family was seated beside the player’s bench. Stu sat at the very end of the row because the players were continually passing by. Several of them stopped to say hi and Stuart was thrilled! One of the players retrieved two hockey pucks from practice to give to Stu and his brother.

When practice was over, the boys were taken into the dressing room to meet the players. Stu came out with his jersey signed, tons of autographed photos, and a big smile on his face!  Afterwards the family spent the afternoon at the Hockey Hall of Fame. That evening was game time. Stu had his foam fingers and Leafs flag waving in the air as he cheered like crazy! Although the Leafs didn't claim a victory it was an exciting game.  

The family had planned a leisurely day for Sunday which included breakfast in bed, the Santa Claus parade and a ride on the streetcar. “We said our goodbyes after the game,” explains Kelly “and the family gave me a thank you card and a Christmas tree ornament with my name on it. It was such a sweet gift. I had put together a photo album for Stu of the weekend festivities...so I gave it to him after the game. I thought it would be a nice way for the family to pass time on the train and reminisce about Stu special weekend.” “Thank you to everyone for making my wish come true” said Stu. “It was not only good for me but wonderful for my whole family.”

More Celebrity Wishes

1. jason romes:

cooooooooooooooooooooooooolllllll