When the Trash family walked into the baggage claim area at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport, they were greeted by a group of loved ones with open arms and a sign that read “Welcome Back Kiki and Family!” The family of six had just returned from their first-ever family vacation to Hawaii. The adventure was made possible by the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“It was a tremendous life experience to be around the family and a beautiful setting, a tropical paradise, and we’ll take those memories with us for the rest of our lives,” Bill Bob Thrash said.
It was Bill Bob’s daughter, Kiki, whose wish it was to go to Hawaii. She admitted, she wasn’t sure what to expect on the trip but also said she’d wanted to visit Hawaii since she was young.
“Beautiful,” Kiki said. “Everything had such pretty scenery and there was so much more to do than I thought there was.”
The Trash family went to a luau, snorkeled and even visited a submarine. Kiki said she enjoyed all of those things but her favorite part of the trip was picking pineapple.
“He let me specially pick one and so we got to pick it and cut it up and everyone got to eat it and I thought the one I picked tasted the best!”
For the 16-year-old’s parents, the trip was a chance to take a break from Kiki’s necessary and near-constant medical treatments and enjoy time together as a family.
“Usually our trips involve medical, driving back and forth to Dallas. This time it was all about just relaxing and having fun and getting to see the joy on our children’s faces for seeing stuff for the very first time… it was just the best part,” Carla Thrash said. “Everywhere you go, you get treated like a rock star. You walk in, you go to the front of the line, you get extra pineapple on the pineapple tour. They just shower you with love.”
Watch the associated video to see more from Kiki’s wish trip.
To learn more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, call the Lubbock office at (806) 785-9474.