Chase McGrath could have chosen Disney World. He could have picked Hawaii.

The seven-year-old could have picked any wish and he picked Vincent Jackson.

Chase had one wish and his wish was to meet his favorite Tampa Bay Buccaneer player. The Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Bucs made that wish come true.

“I just like him,” Chase said. “I just like football.”

Chase and his family were flown from Washington, D.C. to Tampa. They were greeted at the airport by Captain Fear. Chase got to watch the team practice at One Buc Place. And the biggest thrill, he got to stand on the Raymond James Stadium field with the players during the National Anthem.

“It brings tears to my eyes. He's so happy and he doesn't know what to do, he’s so overwhelmed,” Chase’s mom Terri McGrath said. “And that's what we want to do for him. You know, give him something to remember.”

It was Chase, though, that gave everyone in the Bucs organization something to remember.  He’s been battling a brain tumor. It’s been a hard and sometimes a painful battle, but his mom says Chase never complains. In his short visit, Chase made quite an impression.

“You just felt his energy, you felt that it was powerful,” Jackson said. “I couldn't be more blessed and more happy and humbled that he came down here and wanted to spend time with us. The kid’s battling for his life. And if anything he could do in this world, that's what he wanted to do and I'll never forget that.”

For as long as his mom can remember, from the times sitting in his dad’s lap to watch Bucs games, Chase has been a Vincent Jackson fan. Now Vincent Jackson is a Chase McGrath fan.

“It's a beautiful thing to see somebody that young have such a respect and appreciation for life,” Jackson said. “The way he just wakes up every morning with a smile on his face is a lesson for all of us.”

 

Click on the video to see Chase’s wish come true.