HIGHLANDS RANCH -
A pro wrestling show may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of granting a wish. Wish Week at Mountain Vista High School is different.
The lights, the noise, and the costumes were just the beginning of making a six-year-old boy’s wish come true. Chad Isaacs has neuroblastoma - a rare form of cancer. He is recovering from a recent surgery, but dreams of becoming a professional wrestler.
Lindsey Jaffe is a student leadership teacher at Mountain Vista. When she heard about Chad’s wish through Make-A-Wish Colorado, she got to work. After a quick Google search she found Rocky Mountain Pro Wrestling, and they were more than happy to help. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for myself, and for Rocky Mountain Pro,” said Anaya, one of the league’s wrestlers.
On the morning of February 8, the school’s gym was transformed. A ring, lights, a live DJ, and a host of wrestlers made it feel more like a trip to the Pepsi Center. By 10:00 a.m., the gym was filled with the entire student body.
“Mountain Vista are you ready?” Jaffe yelled into the microphone to kick off the festivities. Chad watched ringside from his wheelchair as, one by one, the wrestlers entered the ring for a battle royal.
Every man doing battle in the ring was once a little boy with a wish. “Everyone has their day, you know,” said the wrestler Anaya before the match. This was Chad’s day.
When only one wrestler remained in the ring, the crowd chanted Chad’s name. With the help of a wrestler, Chad and his brother entered the ring to the delight of the crowd. After a couple of kicks from Chad and a neck-breaker from his brother, a dazed Anaya was kicked over the top ropes and out of the ring. Chad was officially a wrestling champion.
“Amazing. I wish he could do it again,” said Chad’s father Cody. For Chad - it’s the beginning of a new career. He will sign a one day contract with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and fly to Los Angeles to meet members of the WWE.
Chad won’t be the only kid whose wish comes true because of these students. The Mountain Vista community raised enough money throughout the week to grant a total of 25 wishes through Make-A-Wish Colorado.
For Chad it was a day to remember after one more bout in the fight of his life.