VANCOUVER, BC – It started off as a normal practice for the Port Moody U-7 Pirates and quickly turned into something Jaydon “will never forget for the rest of his life.”
As Omar Salgado approached the field with Whitecaps FC mascot Spike and goalkeeper coach Marius Rovde, Jaydon stood there with a blank look on his face.
“I didn’t know they were coming,” Jaydon, 6, told whitecapsfc.com after the practice.
His teammates couldn’t contain their excitement, but that’s not in Jaydon’s nature.
He’s a shy kid who doesn’t like the spotlight.
But when Salgado invited Jaydon and his team to watch this Saturday’s Whitecaps FC game against Real Salt Lake in a suite, he started to realize what was happening.
He smiled.
Jaydon’s wish was granted – and it “felt amazing,” he said.
“I think he didn’t know what to do with it at first,” said Jaydon’s mom, Janet. “He was a little taken aback. That’s the shyness and introvert in him. But he said to me, ‘Mom this is pretty cool.’ It’s everything that he wanted.”
And more.
Jaydon, who underwent an emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor when he was four years old, was a granted a wish through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
He just wanted to attend a Whitecaps FC game with his team. But over the last several months, Whitecaps FC and the Make-A-Wish Foundation have teamed up to give him more.
In addition to the surprise visit from Salgado, Jaydon and his team will get VIP transportation to and from Saturday’s match, a stadium and locker room tour, and the opportunity to play on the field at halftime. And there’s still more in the works.
“It’s going to be a magical day,” promised Make-A-Wish volunteer Claudio Arato, who has been working on Jaydon’s wish. “They’ve gone through a lot. This is about giving them something else.”
Whether Jaydon would have the opportunity to experience these joys wasn’t always a given.
When he was four years old, Jaydon started experiencing severe headaches when he woke up in the morning. So his parents took him to the BC Children’s Hospital and within 24 hours he was getting surgery to remove a brain tumor.
The doctors said they would do their best to make sure Jaydon could one day play soccer and ride a bike again, but the prognosis at the time wasn’t looking very good.
“Within five days of the surgery, he was walking again and the doctors were in shock,” Janet said. “It was a very successful surgery.”
From there, Jaydon spent three months in California getting follow-up treatment, as the biopsy determined it was a cancerous tumor. His team, the Port Moody Pirates, helped with fundraising.
As a result, Jaydon missed the latter part of the 2012-13 season. Naturally, the first thing he wanted to do when he returned to full health was get back on the field.
“So we actually put him in a soccer camp when we got back,” Janet said. “But he was in tears every day. He said, ‘I just want to play with the Pirates. I just want to get back to my soccer team.’”
Jaydon started playing soccer when he was three years old. He comes from a soccer family – his dad was born in Liverpool – so soccer is in his blood.
“He was kind of born with a soccer ball,” Janet said. “It was one of his first gifts at the hospital.”
Jaydon joined the Pirates about three years ago and almost the entire team has been kept together since that point. Some of them even went to preschool together.
They’re more than a team. They’re “best friends,” Janet said.
“They were around when he was going through his treatment,” said Jaydon’s dad, Dave, who is also the team’s coach. “They know his situation and they’ve been there for him.”
“It’s massive,” Dave continued. “He’s an only child. That was one of the reasons why we stayed in Port Moody. We knew these were kids around the area that he could grow up with hopefully for the rest of his life. That was a big part of it.”
Once Jaydon returned to the Pirates after his operation, he became the player everyone loved to cheer on. He was named Player of the Month in November of last year and in a subsequent interview for the Port Moody Soccer website, Jaydon was asked: “What do you love above Port Moody Soccer?”
“When I had cancer last season, my team and the club bought me presents to make me feel better,” he answered. “I really liked that.”
Then Jaydon was asked what he specifically likes about his team. He responded: “I love that they always say hi to me and like me and support me.”
“Those are the kind of things that speak to him,” Janet said. “He’s very thoughtful, considerate, sweet, humble and shy. And he loves his friends.”
That’s why his friends were a big part of his wish.
Initially, he asked for a motorcycle, but his parents wouldn’t have that.
“I said, ‘I just got you out of the hospital, you’re not getting a motorbike,’” Janet laughed.
Upon further contemplation, doing something around soccer and his team just seemed right. And here we are today.
Jaydon has been to a Whitecaps FC game before – his parents are Season Ticket Holders. But he said he’s “really excited” for Saturday.
And after everything that’s happened over the last few years, his parents are too.
“It still gives me a lump in my throat,” Dave said. “I think the day is going to be pretty emotional for us. It’s been almost two years now since he had the tumor removed. You know, life goes on, but every once in a while you stop and reflect on it.”
“After what we went through in California last spring, this is something that he definitely deserves,” Dave continued. “He’s brave, he went through a lot when he was out there. This is great for him. He’s kind of a humble guy so he doesn’t expect much. He just goes along day by day and that’s one of the things we love about him. But I know inside this is something he loves. It’s something he’ll never forget for the rest of his life. That’s for sure.”
Make sure to look out for Jaydon and the Pirates at BC Place on Saturday when Whitecaps FC host Real Salt Lake at BC Place. And stay in your seats at halftime for a special “Make a Wish” experience, as the Pirates take the field. You can also use the hashtag #CapsWish to follow the Pirates’ experience throughout the match.
