Boy with CF gets his wish: a trip to Hawaii

By KATIE SEMINARA

Patrick Duffy didn’t have to rub a magic lamp to have his wish granted.

LIBERTY — With excitement still in his voice, Patrick Duffy sounded like he had just come inside from riding waves under the Hawaiian sun.

“It was the first time I tasted saltwater,” said 13-year-old Patrick.

Patrick battles with the chronic lung disease cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis causes respiratory and gastrointestinal problems.

Those who live with cystic fibrosis often have clogged lungs and struggle with the inability to break down foods because of pancreatic malfunctions, said Patrick’s mother, Bonnie.

Last year Bonnie nominated Patrick to receive a wish from the Kids Wish Network.

Kids Wish Network is a nonprofit organization that is in the genie business. For 11 years they have been granting wishes to children ages 3 to 18 who suffer from life-threatening illnesses.

When the foundation was making routine calls for donations, Bonnie was hesitant to recommend her son because the list of eligible conditions did not include cystic fibrosis.

“The girl on the phone was listing diseases and she didn’t mention cystic fibrosis,” said Bonnie.

But she and her husband, Keith, took their chances and told Kids Wish about Patrick.

And last year, on his birthday, Patrick’s wish for a trip to Hawaii with his mom and dad came true.

“I said ‘dreams do come true’ and just about fell to the floor,” said Patrick.

Tasting saltwater wasn’t the only first for Patrick on his seven-day stay in Honolulu back in April.

When the Duffys arrived at the Waikiki Parc Hotel, the staff greeted Patrick as if they had known him for years.

“We stayed at a hotel with the nicest people you could ever meet. One guy knew I was a sports fanatic and gave me a Browns Ozzie Newsome card,” said Patrick.

The gifts and experiences didn’t stop with sports cards.

A visit to Pearl Harbor and the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial was one of Patrick’s favorite memories of his stay on the Pacific.

Gary Jackson, a Pearl Harbor Ranger, played personal tour guide to the Duffys. Patrick was introduced to three survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor and was given a copy of the Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, issue of the Honolulu Star Bulletin newspaper signed by the survivors he met.

Even though the wheel was as big as him, Patrick said the best part was driving the ferry boat back to the mainland from the memorial.

“He was the first child they ever let drive the boat,” said Bonnie.

Swimming with dolphins made Patrick’s Hawaii highlight list. He was in the water with them for about 30 minutes and learned how dolphins are trained.

“They gave him a book on the basics of dolphin training, and the girls there called him handsome,” said Bonnie with a smile.

Restaurants on the trip provided diverse cuisine and plenty of topics the Duffys will reminisce about for years.

“They have the best steak you could ever eat,” said Patrick pointing to his Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. shirt the manager gave him.

The Duffys were also entertained with live cooking at a hibachi style restaurant, and Patrick was amazed with the onion volcano the chef created.

Authentic Hawaiian food wasn’t necessarily on the list of things to try, but they did eat Hawaiian pizza.

“They had spam at Burger King,” said Keith, but they weren’t brave enough to taste it.

Patrick explored the underwater world at the Waikiki Aquarium and on a submarine journey about 100 feet below the water.

Being in the ocean was a big part of the trip, and Patrick said, “my mom and I tried to go boogie boarding and almost got washed out to sea.”

Just as Patrick vividly recalls catching waves on his dream vacation, Bonnie and Keith can do the same for the day they found out about Patrick’s condition.

In 1997 when Patrick was only 2 years old, he came down with the flu and all the cystic fibrosis symptoms came with it, said Bonnie.

After 41 days between the Cleveland Clinic and Rainbow Babies University Hospital, doctors diagnosed Patrick with cystic fibrosis.

“We had no known history of CF in our families,” said Keith.

When the realization set in, Bonnie said, “if this is what my son has, then we will get through it.”

And that is just what the Duffys do.

Patrick’s life is basically the same as any 13-year-old.

He plays baseball, hangs out with friends down the street and will start eighth grade in the fall.

“Baseball is my favorite sport to play,” said Patrick, who picked No. 24 just like Grady Sizemore.

Patrick faces many challenges from cystic fibrosis.

Patrick takes multiple pills and does two breathing treatments every day.

Patrick was thrilled his doctors signed the release form for his trip to Hawaii and hopes his experience will spread the word on cystic fibrosis.

“No one really knows about CF,” said Patrick. “Maybe now charities will pay closer attention to kids with my condition.”