30-04-2025
On World Wish Day, 8-year-old cancer patient meets his spirit animal, the capybara
(KRON) — Joshua, and 8-year-old from Santa Cruz, fulfilled his wish to meet a capybara on Tuesday at Nurtured by Nature in San Diego.
Diagnosed with a malignant bone neoplasm in 2023, Joshua has undergone chemotherapy and a humerus bone transplant at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford. His fascination with capybaras began during his treatment when he watched videos of the world's largest rodent online.
'Once he figured out that the capybara is friends with everybody, he said 'Like me! I want to be friends with everybody too!'' said Joshua's mom, Amelia.
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Joshua's wish is being granted on World Wish Day, which commemorates the day in 1980 when Christopher James Greicius' wish to be a police officer was fulfilled, leading to the founding of Make-A-Wish. This event marks the 300th wish that Nurtured by Nature has partnered with Make-A-Wish to grant for children with critical illnesses.
The visit to San Diego was the first for Joshua and his family, providing them with hope and a chance to think beyond the hospital walls.
'The wish gives you an opportunity to think bigger. Think long term. Think of something fun,' Amelia said. 'It brought that sense of wonder back to our conversations—a sense of stepping outside the hospital walls just in our imagination. And that makes a huge difference.'
All facts from this article were gathered by KRON4 journalists. The article was converted into this format with assistance from artificial intelligence. It has been edited and approved by KRON4 staff.
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