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Community rallies to buy pontoon boat for 12-year-old with cancer

A North Carolina community rallied to grant a 12-year-old boy with cancer his wish, after the Make-A-Wish Foundation reportedly rejected his request.

Isaac Rodriguez is fighting brain cancer and Steven Johnson Syndrome, a rare type of skin disorder. His family has raised over $4,000 through a GoFundMe campaign started in August 2019.

Rodriguez asked for a pontoon boat, which was rejected by the Make-A-Wish foundation. The request was rejected because the foundation would not provide a boat with an engine larger than 25 HP and tried to provide a boat without an engine.

After his wish wasn’t granted, Todd Willis, owner of Neuse River Bait and Tackle in Grantsboro, organized a GoFundMe page to help Rodriguez achieve his wish.

A North Carolina community rallied around a 12-year-old boy with a cancer to provide him with a pontoon boat. (Yahoo News Canada)
A North Carolina community rallied around a 12-year-old boy with a cancer to provide him with a pontoon boat. (Yahoo News Canada)

The fundraiser has raised over $31,000 at the time of this writing and Willis surprised Rodriguez and his family upon raising money for the boat.

“We were raising money for Isaac to get a pontoon boat. Guess what? We’ve been keeping it a secret the whole time,” Willis said into the camera aboard the boat.

Rodriguez couldn’t be happier, sitting on his own seat on the boat, with an unimpeachable smile on his face and revealed to the camera that he had no idea about the surprise.

The surprise couldn’t have happened at a better time as the summer heats up, and there are few places better than being on the water. Congratulations to Isaac, and here’s to happy fishing.