Meet the Leeds teenager whose wish will grant more wishes

When a Leeds teenager was granted a wish by a leading charity he decided to think about others rather than himself.
Jakob Brockley.Jakob Brockley.
Jakob Brockley.

Jakob Brockley from Middleton decided to pay it forward after being granted a wish by the Make-A-Wish UK charity, which offers life-changing wishes to children and teenagers who have been diagnosed with critical illnesses.

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He has asked to have a custom-made guitar for his wish - and a second guitar that he can raffle off and donate the proceeds to the charity.

Jakob playing at Wakefield's Mechanics Theatre in 2019.Jakob playing at Wakefield's Mechanics Theatre in 2019.
Jakob playing at Wakefield's Mechanics Theatre in 2019.
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The 18-year-old, who’s studying at Wakefield College, was diagnosed with a rare type of bone cancer when he was 12.

He’s since had five operations and now has a titanium left arm. This restricts his movement, but he is determined to carry on playing the guitar.

Jakob originally wished to meet his favourite heavy metal band, Trivium, but coronavirus restrictions made it impossible for the charity to help him travel to the USA. Jakob changed his wish because both music and having a wish to look forward to meant so much to him.

He said: “When I was told I had a tumour, it was the scariest thing I could have heard as a 12-year-old. Just thinking about another child being told that’s happening to them is heart-wrenching. If I can help a teenager in that situation get their wish, I’ll be happy with myself.

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"Hearing that I could have a wish was just the best feeling in the world. I was 17 when Make-A-Wish told me. Knowing that someone acknowledged my pain; someone saw my pain; someone heard about my pain, and they were willing to help me out and make me feel good about my life..... was just the best. My way of (showing gratitude) is just by giving back.

“Music was always there for me so I want to help it become a part of other people’s lives.”

Jakob's act of kindness has been recognised with the teenager speaking at this year's KindFest, a festival of light in a time of darkness.

The interview being livestreamed was carried out by the charity’s Wish family liaison manager Nikki Wrench who had her own wish granted when she was a teenager. She’s been in remission from Acute Myeloid Leukaemia for 20 years.

Nikki said she could relate to how Jakob felt.

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“Hearing that you can have a wish changes the conversation from ‘what I’m going through is sad and painful’ to ‘there’s something exciting here. I can talk about my diagnosis with an element of something positive to look forward to.”

You can watch Jakob’s interview by buying tickets to KindFest which takes place on November 13th, International Day of Kindness - visit: https://www.teamkind.org.ukTo help grant Jakob’s wish or enhance the value of the guitar he’s planning to raffle, please email: [email protected]For more information and to read more about Jakob’s story, visit: www.make-a-wish.org.uk or follow the charity on social media: @makeawishuk

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