Marques was born with congenital heart disease and had his first open heart surgery at just 12 days old. With continued monitoring, he was able to live a relatively normal life for the next 14 years and then things began to change. He started to have issues with breathing, chest pain, high blood pressure and, as a result, began passing out. In January of 2019, his doctors determined that he needed to have a second open heart surgery to repair a valve and he went into the operating room with high hopes. After the surgery and a few long weeks of recovery, Marques once again began suffering bouts of shortness of breath and the doctors went to work again in placing a stent in his artery. Sadly, this surgery didn’t go as planned and complications led the doctors to stop the procedure mid-surgery and instead, plan for a THIRD open heart operation that could correct the blockage. This young man underwent these three critical surgical interventions within a 7-week span and missed the entire second half of his freshman year at Sauk Rapids HS. He’s been through more than any teen should have to and Wishes & More wanted to give Marques a much-needed respite to take a break from it all.
Marques enjoys hanging out with friends, playing basketball, video games, and camping & fishing with Grandma and Grandpa. His wish was to enjoy a relaxing vacation in Florida, take in a Miami Heat game and visit the memorial site of one of his favorite recording artists. We jumped into action to make the arrangements and plan out plenty of free-time for Marques to simply “chill” after enduring and recovering from these emotional and medical traumas. Thanks to the wonderful owners of B3 Vacation Villa-Fort Lauderdale for opening up their vacation home to our wish family – Marques said the pool was “awesome” and the house was the perfect place to hang out in the warmth of the Florida sun. We’re hoping this vacation gave Marques the boost he needs to continue his recovery and get through some upcoming physical therapy. Like many of our kids, his treatments and check-ups will continue, but we hope the memories from a wish come true help ease the burden and bring joy.
