Dreams Come True

Alabama Mobile A Colorado teenager battling Cystic Fibrosis gets the wish of a lifetime right here in Mobile.

by Jessica Taloney

Published: Tue, July 07, 2009 - 4:42 pm CST

Jaeda Sichel lives 1600 miles from the Gulf Coast, but when offered one wish to do anything she wants, there was no where she'd rather be.

"It's just so exciting, jumping out of helicopters, and you're in the middle of the ocean and waves are huge," said Sichel, 18.

After being approached by the Make A Wish Foundation in 2007, Sichel spent two years planning out the details of her wish. She thought about going to Space Camp or perhaps even Germany, but in the end it was the U.S. Coast Guard's Air Training Center in Mobile that turned out be a dream come true.

Sichel, who was diagnosed as an infant with Cystic Fibrosis, spent the day training with the Coast Guard as a rescue swimmer. Her morning started with pool exercises, and the afternoon ended with Sichel being deployed from a helicopter using a hoist.

Sichel says her wish was inspired by the movie The Guardian, and the real life experience was better than she imagined!

"This is just an opportunity of a lifetime," says Sichel's dad, Gordy Sichel. "We'll never forget it. Everyone here has been so fabulous to us."

The Make A Wish Foundation's Colorado chapter worked with the Alabama chapter to make Sichel's wish happen.

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