James was born on the Fourth of July in 2011–this is why we like to refer to him as “our little firecracker”. He was his father Eric’s only son, which caused them to form an unbreakable bond. From day one, James and Eric were each other’s best friend and were completely inseparable throughout all aspects of their lives. James was very passionate about sports from a very young age including football, baseball and wrestling. No matter what, his dad was always cheering him on from the sidelines with a front-row seat and James’ number on his back. Even as James got older, the two of them got closer ands hared days of fishing, motorcycle rides, and plenty of arcade days. On March 30 of this past year, our entire family’s lives changed when Eric passed away in a very tragic and sudden motorcycle accident. None of us saw this loss coming, and James took it especially hard, given that Eric was his sole best friend. Ever since the accident and loss of his father, James has had lots of ups and downs, and has struggled to navigate his grief. He has had emotional outbursts, distanced himself from others, and just struggles to enjoy his life as the firework of the 10-year-old he was before experiencing this huge, impactful loss. He has since joined a grief support group at school with some of his peers that have also experienced recent losses of loved ones, and we are all extremely proud of him for opening up in this way with others. This loss will continue to impact him forever, and we just hope to bring back out his “firework”spirit someday soon. He was nominated by him mom who continues to see his daily struggles. Kids Wish Network is honored to acknowledge James as a Hero.