Tony Noriega, a high school sophomore battling cancer, will have a wish granted and attend this year's All-Star Game in San Diego. Major League Baseball, the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies (Astros), the Make-A-Wish foundation and Business Street Online have teamed up to make Noriega's wish a reality.
Noriega was surprised to learn of his upcoming trip, during pregame festivities of the Grizzlies' game against the Las Vegas 51s on Saturday. He threw the first pitch, then found out his wish had been granted.
A sophomore at Madera North High School in Madera, Calif., Noriega has battled cancer since being diagnosed with Stage 3A Hodgkins Lymphoma.
He was recognized in December by Business Street Online's "40 under 40 Class of 2015," a group of business professionals in the private and public sectors of Central California. The group decided to help grant Noriega's wish and began the process of raising awareness to eventually get him to San Diego for the All-Star Game on July 12 at Petco Park.
Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. As one of the world's leading children's charities, Make-A-Wish serves children in every community in the United States and its territories. With the help of donors and more than 27,000 volunteers, Make-A-Wish grants a wish somewhere in the country every 37 minutes and has granted more than 254,000 wishes since its inception in 1980.