For 10-year-old Jesse, there were only a few things that were necessary to make his wish to have a man cave a success.
“I wished for a man cave that has a foosball table, a bean bag chair and it will be just for me and my friends – no sisters allowed,” Jesse told his wish granters in the beginning of the process.
Jesse was ready for some relaxation in a space of his own after spending much of the past year in hospitals or in his bedroom recovering from surgery and treatments after a cancer diagnosis.
His wish was something he thought about often – creating grand plans for it once it was completed.
“I will have my friends over to hang out and stay the night and we can play foosball and hang out,” said Jesse. This month, Jesse wish was granted in epic fashion thanks to the Phoenix 20-30 Club, a philanthropic men’s club in the Valley devoted to helping children’s charities.
“When Make-A-Wish shared Jesse’s wish with us, we knew our club would embrace the opportunity to make this wish a reality,” said Sean McGraw, past president of the Phoenix 20-30 Club. “After all, many of us want a man cave of our own so we could understand how important it was to get this wish right.” Jesse’s wish included a shed from Urban Shed Concepts, which has been working with Make-A-Wish Arizona to grant many playhouse, man cave and she-shed wishes during the pandemic.
Once the shed was in place, members of the Phoenix 20-30 Club came in to paint, lay some laminate flooring and build all Jesse’s requested items including a table that is ping-pong, pool, and foosball.
On the day of his wish reveal, Jesse was surprised not only with his foosball table and bean bag chair, but also with a loft area complete with bed and Naruto bedding, a dart board, popcorn machine, ice cream machine, snacks for him to share with his guests and a special sign crafted by the 20-30 club members that declared the shed “Jesse’s Man Cave.”
“This is so awesome, I love everything in it,” said Jesse about his wish. “I didn’t know about all the extra stuff but there is so much here.”
Jesse’s parents were overwhelmed with the support of Make-A-Wish and the Phoenix 20-30 Club and are excited to see something positive come after this hard year of worry and fear.
“Jesse is the heart of our family, he is always so happy and always looking on the bright side,” said Alexis, Jesse’s mom. “To see everyone come together to make his wish come true is overwhelming. We are so happy, we just can’t believe it.”
Jesse meanwhile, is ready to spend some quality time in his private space.
“I can’t wait to hang out,” he said. “I might even let my sisters come in so we can play foosball together.”
