Enjoying the great outdoors is a simple pleasure that is easy to take for granted. But for 12-year-old Nathan Westbrook, being outside can have devastating consequences on his immunocompromised system. On Nathan’s behalf, his parents reached out to a local nonprofit, a Wish with Wings, to request an enclosed sensory porch. After years of planning, including a lengthy pause for pandemic precautions, the construction of Nathan’s porch is finally complete.

Nathan lives with his parents and two older siblings, Hannah, 16, and Graham, 14, in North Texas. Nathan has Down syndrome and nonverbal autism and also was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 6 years old. These medical conditions have made life more challenging for the Westbrook family. But with the completion of the new enclosed porch for them to enjoy, a new chapter will begin.

The enclosed porch allows Nathan to feel like he is outdoors, something he greatly enjoys, without the risk of any harmful exposure. The porch, attached to the back of the family home, blends seamlessly with the exterior siding and landscape, acting as an extension of Nathan’s safe spaces. The porch includes many sensory details such as an LED cloud and music display that changes colors with the beat of the music, sand and water table, single swing for Nathan, three seat glider for Nathan and other family members, enclosed view of Nathan’s favorite wind spinners and more.

“We have dreamed about this day for a very long time,” said Melissa Westbrook, Nathan’s mother. “The generosity of a Wish with Wings and the local community will open up a new world for Nathan.”

A Wish with Wings secured donations for materials and labor through The Christman Company, a national construction management and real estate development firm with a Dallas/Fort Worth office; Rees Architects, a premier architecture firm with offices in Texas and Oklahoma; FlexScreen, the world’s first flexible window screen as featured on ABC’s Shark Tank; and multiple local organizations.

“This wish has been one of the most rewarding projects I have ever been a part of,” said Kelly Bradbury, service director for The Christman Company’s affiliate, Christman Facility Solutions. “Nathan is a special person, and I can’t imagine a more deserving family with which to share my love of construction.”

“At a Wish with Wings, we want to focus on a child’s happiness, joy and laughter and that is why we do what we do,” said Clarissa Hernandez, program director for a Wish with Wings. “Seeing a child, like Nathan, experience a life-changing moment through one of the wishes we grant is why I am proud to work for this organization.”

Celebrating 40 years of granting magical wishes, a Wish with Wings has many opportunities for volunteering and donating. To learn more, visit awww.org/get-involved.

Local organizations supporting the effort include Armstrong-Douglass, Carruthers Landscape Management Christman Facility Solutions, Christman Millwork, Faber Trade, Guroo Contracting, Home Depot, KNK Concrete Express, Lowe’s, Naylor Commercial Painting and Parmer Roofing.

About a Wish with Wings
A Wish with Wings, a 501(c)3 organization founded in 1982, was Texas’ first wish-granting agency. Now celebrating 40 years of service, a Wish with Wings has granted over 1,750 wishes to Texas children fighting life-threatening medical conditions. In 2021, the organization granted a record number of 66 wishes throughout Texas that included trips to Disney World, shopping sprees, a cruise, celebrity meet and greets, and more. In 2022, a Wish with Wings won editor’s pick in the Best of Fort Worth service organization category by Fort Worth Magazine and was recently selected as the 2023 Foodie Philanthropy Charity of Choice. To donate and learn more information, visit awww.org and connect on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.