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Courtney’s Wish Story

Courtney, 18, Grants Pass
Wish: RV Expedition up the Oregon Coast

Courtney’s wish adventure became a reality in August with an eight-day RV camping expedition along the Oregon coast. Courtney is an 18-year-old from Grants Pass, Ore., and qualified to receive a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Oregon because she has acute myelogenous leukemia.

The trip started out in Eugene, where Courtney, her older brother, mom and dad packed into an RV to start their adventure. The first stop was Tugman Campground in Lakeside for two days of hiking, biking and sightseeing.

Courtney continued her wish trip along Highway 101 North to Florence, Ore., to explore the amazing Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and Sea Lion Caves. But more surprises lay ahead for Courtney when she stopped in Newport to be greeted by the mayor of Newport, several townspeople and Make-A-Wish® volunteers. Mayor Bain proclaimed it “Courtney Friedt Day” in Newport and the community showered her with great coastal gifts like crab hats and local jewelry.

“Thank you for making Courtney smile,” says Courtney’s mom reflecting on that special moment. “The smile that she had lasted all day and into the next day; she talks about Newport all the time.”

During their Newport visit, they stopped at the Ripleys Believe It or Not museum, the WAX museum and the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where they picked up great souvenirs and learned interesting facts about the Oregon coastline’s habitat.

Courtney especially loved the next excursion in Yaquina Bay, where she enjoyed boating, fishing and crabbing. She set a goal to someday own her own boat so she could always have adventure at her fingertips.

“When she talks about her Make-A-Wish trip, the boating trip where she went fishing and crabbing is how she always starts her story,” says Courtney’s mom. “Courtney had so much fun that she wants to be out on the ocean all the time.”

The last stop of the trip was Pacific City’s Cape Kiwanda. There, she headed to the beach for surfing tips from the Kiwanda Surf Company. This was a magnificent end to her eight-day trip, as she headed home full of stories of campfires, fishing, boating, hiking, biking, and surfing along with a new-found sense of adventure.

“For one week we were able to be a normal family doing normal family things,” recalls Courtney’s mom. “And for one week she was a just a normal teenager. Thank you”.