Lunch for Wishing Star comes from the heart

Christmas came a little early for the staff and volunteers at Wishing Star. Subway franchise owner Jerry Jensen and his son Tyler, 13, delivered a free lunch to the nonprofit as part of Subway’s Season of Giving on Dec. 10.

The restaurant chain targeted 12 local nonprofits and expected to deliver more than 275 sandwiches last week.

When Jensen saw Wishing Star on the list, he immediately offered to take them lunch. Eight years ago, the organization granted Tyler’s wish to go to Disney World.

“Tyler had a host of medical problems that started when he was 6 months old,” Jensen recalled. “He had autoimmune problems and colon problems. We were in and out of the hospital a lot.”

Thankfully, Tyler, a seventh-grader at TEC at Bryant, remembers little of his childhood illnesses. “I do remember the popsicles at the hospital,” he said.

The trip to Disney World offered the family a much-needed break from doctor visits and hospital stays.

Wishing Star Executive Director Sarah Wallin said the organization was started by two Coeur d’Alene teachers in 1983, and has fulfilled 1,246 wishes to date. “We grant 40 wishes a year,” she said. Those wishes are made possible by donors, community support and the help of many volunteers.

Tyler and his dad smiled as they delivered the trays of Subway sandwiches to the Wishing Star office. Though the Disney World trip was shortly before Tyler turned 5, several memories stand out for him.

“The limo ride!” he said. “It was the first time I’d ever seen a TV in a car. And there were Cokes and food in the fridge.”

He also remembers a few of the rides and the ice cream shop near the villa where they stayed. “I got to sit in chairs shaped like ice cream bowls.”

Now a healthy teen who plays hockey for the Spokane Junior Chiefs, Tyler said he likes to read, hang out with friends and pick on his two brothers.

As they placed the sandwiches on a table, his dad told the staff and volunteers, “We’re happy to team up with you guys. It’s great to be able to give back.”

Asked what having Tyler’s wish granted meant to his family, words escaped him for a moment. Then clearing his throat, Jerry Jensen replied, “I can’t describe how great it was to just relax and be a family.”