Make-A-Wish / Long Beach Polar Bear's Impact

For the past 21 years, each Super Bowl Sunday, the Long Beach Polar Bears gather to take the plunge with the goal of granting as many wishes as possible for Make-A-Wish. Since the splash's inception, it has raised more than $8 million. While Paulie, the inspiration behind the splash, was not able get his wish to boogie board in Puerto Rico, we continue to plunge each year to honor his memory and help to grant the wishes of children with critical illnesses. Check out some recently granted wishes in our community!

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Leah, 11, Cancer 

Eleven-year old Leah has been battling a long and exhausting fight again cancer for over two years. But the light at the end of the tunnel was the knowledge that her wish to go on a Disney Cruise with her family would come true. Leah’s wish included going to the Bahamas where she explored a private island by horse carriage, snorkeled and played in the sand with her little brother. She summed up her wish experience by saying, “Thinking back at all that I’ve been through with battling cancer, I am so grateful for the opportunity to have these special moments and experiences with my family”.

Philip, 5, Liver Disorder

Five-year-old Philip loves building things with Legos and watching YouTube videos of kids staying at the LEGOLAND Hotel. So, after undergoing a lifesaving liver transplant, Philip knew what his one true wish would be: to go to LEGOLAND in California (and stay in a pirate-themed room)! The family's adventure was full of new experiences and wonderful memories.“It was amazing for us all to be together and healthy and able to enjoy a trip with no worries from start to finish,” said Philip’s mom, Kimberly. “It was so much fun to see Philip being adventurous and gaining so much confidence on the trip.”

Hope, 14, Sickle Cell Disease

Fourteen-year-old Hope is thinking ahead. As a future computer scientist, her wish was to visit Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California to get an early experience of what it's like to work as a computer scientist/programmer (and to see how emojis are made!)! A honor roll student, constantly pushing herself to excel in her technology focused studies, Hope knew she wanted to develop her own app and go to Apple.  "One of the best and unexpected moments of this trip was going into the Apple Park store and witnessing Hope's reaction to the standing ovation she received as we came in," her mom Patricia said. "In Hope's words that was epic and so cool!"