The parents of a former Make-A-Wish recipient have launched a campaign to provide other children with the same opportunities as their son in his honour.
Before 13-year-old Mateo Aceval passed away in June from cancer, the foundation granted him his dream room - A ‘boy cave’ filled with his favourite things.
“I never saw Mateo smile so much, he was full of excitement, it definitely brought the attention away from what he was going through,” said Mateo’s mom, Tsiu-Ping Yeh-Aceval.
On Wednesday, the room Mateo had designed was revealed to the family.
“It just means so much more that Mateo’s not here”.
Yeh-Aceval says before Mateo died, he asked his mom to grant similar wishes to other kids.
“He always told me ‘mommy if I ever lose my battle, can you please continue helping other kids,’” she said.
Keeping her promise, Yeh-Aceval has launched Mateo’s Legacy in support of the Make-A-Wish foundation. The goal is to fundraise enough money to help at least 20 other children achieve their wish.
“It’s a great way to remember him,” she said. “Turning loss into legacy just makes it so much easier as a healing process.”
