Wes came to live at Queensway in August of 2018 at the age of 61. He often talked about his love of sports, and how he played goalie when he was younger. He would often recall the times when he himself would have a shutout or the incredible games he would watch on T.V that would change sports statistics forever.

When Wes was asked what his one wish would be, he said, I’d like to talk to Dan Marino from the Miami Dolphins. Wes loves sports. He has been collecting sports cards since he was a kid. Queensway LTC staff were a bit surprised with his response because everyone at the home knows that Wes is an avid Pittsburg Penguins hockey fan. Wes said, “I like the Pittsburg Penguins as a team, but the one person I like more than anyone is Dan Marino.” This seemed like a simple wish, but Dan Marino is not an easy person to get in touch with. After contacting multiple organizations, the Program Manager was able to connect with a group called “Living Wish Foundation” who was able to make the connection with Dan Marino. An application was sent to Living Wish that asked a little about Wes, his family, hobbies, and interest.

Wes had questions for Dan too. Wes wanted to know if Dan was nervous when he was running down the field with the ball and the other team chasing him, to which Dan answered, “Yes, when you have big guys that are chasing you and they are faster than you, it can be a little nerve racking and you can get a little nervous about that. But you have to understand how to deal with that, and it’s part of your job as a quarterback.” Wes wanted to know who taught him to throw a football like that. Dan said his dad taught him how to throw and he wanted Wes to remember that it was his dad who taught him. It was very apparent that Dan loved his dad dearly and was thankful that he spent the time with him throwing a ball and supporting his success as a professional football player Dan was also impressed to know that Wes has 7 sisters and 2 brothers. He shared that he has two sisters and he thinks the world of them, family is so important. Fair to say that Dan is a family man.

Although Wes was not able to watch the video surrounded by family and friends due to COVID restrictions, a copy of the video was sent to them. Queensway staff gathered around Wes with great excitement as we revealed the surprise, to which Wes was overwhelmed and somewhat speechless.

After watching the video Wes made us all laugh by saying “He (Dan) will always be my favourite football player even though he’s retired. I used to like Terry Bradshaw, but he’s no comparison to that guy (pointing to Dan on the TV).

Wes is a collector of memorabilia so of course some gifts for him the remember this Dream come True. Bridge to Dreams was able to purchase an authentic signed Dan Marino Miami Dolphins jersey, and a commemorative plate.