Hawaii Is Landyn’s Happy Place | Make-A-Wish

I wish to go to Hawaii | Landyn | 13 | Nervous system disorder

Landyn is described as a kind-hearted, thoughtful, polite and sweet kid.

He enjoys camping, riding dirt bikes, swimming, four-wheeling, collecting rocks and shells, playing with his dogs and putting together Legos.

He has a nervous system disorder that causes severe seizures which are sometimes accompanied by short-term memory loss. These seizures are very stressful and emotionally exhausting for him and his parents who often stay up all night to watch over him. However, Landyn is empowered by his supportive family and the medical professionals who care for him. “It amazes me how resilient he is after going through what he goes through daily. He is a fighter,” said his mom, Rachel.

It was during a chilly December that Landyn’s wish to go to Hawaii came true. Landyn knew he wanted to go somewhere tropical for his wish. He gets cold swimming in pools and wanted to be in a place where he could swim as much as he liked without freezing. He found some photos of Hawaii and those helped him make his decision.

When selecting his wish, he wrote about wanting to slide down a waterslide near or into the ocean. His mom said that “Landyn went down the waterslide into the pool next to the ocean more times than I can count, each time he had a smile on his face with pure joy!”

During the trip, the family went to Sea Life Park. Landyn interacted with dolphins and also fed tropical fish. Landyn was surprised that the fish would eat lettuce and how fast they would snatch the leafy vegetable from his hands. The family also went snorkeling at Hanauama Bay. While exploring the tropical waters Landyn’s little brother lost a loose tooth forever in the ocean!

The family hiked up a hill to see Makapu’s Lighthouse. The path was very steep and the wind was blowing. They stopped a quarter of the way up to rest and despite the heavy wind and arduous path, they finally reached the top. The view was magnificent! But as they were leaving, they realized that they could have just driven around the bend and parked on the other side of the lighthouse. Everyone had a good laugh about that.

“Landyn was incredibly happy to be in Hawaii; his anxiety was better and he was just over the moon excited to get to spend quality time with his family and explore Hawaii. For the week, he was stress free and not thinking about his seizures and other health issues and was able to just have fun with his family,” said Rachel.

“Landyn says Hawaii is his favorite place to be, he calls it his ‘Happy Place’ and can’t wait to go back someday!”

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