BOCA RATON, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida teen has been battling cancer, but Lynn University’s men’s basketball team helped make one of his wishes come true.
Fourteen-year-old Kole Redmond is a cancer patient from Parkland, and he’s not shy with his love for basketball. His parents, Lissette Redmond-Winston and Robert Winston, were surprised when they found their son did not simply suffer a basketball injury in March.
“He was diagnosed with ulcer sarcoma in his upper femur,” said Lissette Redmond-Winston. “He’s gone through chemo as well as lymph-saving surgery in July and then another 17 weeks of chemo after that.”
The 14-year-old warrior has been through his share of procedures: surgery in Tampa and chemotherapy at jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. However, Kole Redmond has yet to back down.
“He’s been very strong,” said Robert Winston. “He’s very strong. I’m proud of him, very proud of him. He’s done a lot of things that I wasn’t sure he was going to be able to do. Day after his surgery he got up and started walking.”
Kole’s wish was a Mediterranean cruise, and the Make-a-Wish of Southern Florida heard his wish. They grant one wish every 14 hours in South Florida and, thanks to Lynn University and other athletes, they were able to raise the money for his cruise.
“The average wish that we grant is around $5,000,” said Make-a-Wish Southern Florida COO Richard Kelly. “A Mediterranean cruise for Kole and his family is a little bit more expensive than that, but Lynn University students got together and raised money to do it and we’re going to make that happen.”
Kole’s destinations of choice are Spain, France and Italy.
“I’ve always wanted to go there,” he said. “It’s somewhere beautiful.”
“Pretty much 99% was taken care of with the surgery,” said Robert Winston. “Everything is going good with his chemo, so right now, God bless everything looks good.”
“I just want to thank Make-a-Wish and Lynn University for giving him this opportunity,” said Lissette Redmond-Winston.
For more information on Make-a-Wish Southern Florida, click here (http://sfla.wish.org/).
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