ESPN in Hawaii: My Wish - Dwyane Wade
ESPN, in collaboration with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, granted the wish of one Honolulu youngster earlier this year when they sent Noa Ornellas to Chicago to meet Dwyane Wade in the first segment of the five-part Sportscenter series “My Wish”.
Ten year-old Noa, an avid basketball player and lifetime Miami Heat fan, was born with biliary atresia, a rare liver defect that primarily affects newborns. At birth, he was given very little chance of surviving, but finally made it out of the hosipital after receiving a new liver and fighting off a life-threating infection. To this day, Noa remains on anti-rejection medication and is kept out of high-contact sports (to protect his liver), but loves to play basketball where he tries his best to emulate his hero, Dwyane Wade.