Vinny Cagnoni, a 7-year-old from Brighton, spent a year-and-a-half in the hospital after a respiratory infection he contracted in 2020 caused his antibodies to go into overdrive, leading him to become paralyzed from the neck down.

When he left, he could only say four words and needed a ventilator. Since then, he’s worked hard through physical, occupational and respiratory therapy to regain his speech and strength, with the ventilator removed in October. But because his respiratory system was affected, he still ends up in the hospital multiple times a year with colds and other respiratory infections.

“I hate seeing him go to the hospital, but he’s so tough,” said his mom, Krisha Trujillo. “Once he starts feeling better, he’s full of energy and has fun with the nurses. He’s a trooper. He just adjusts to his environment.”

To make all that therapy and those hospital visits a little easier to bear, Make-A-Wish Colorado is granting him a wish: To visit Disneyland, Universal Studios and Legoland with his family, which includes three siblings.

“It’s all of his cartoons he loves plus rides,” Trujillo said. “It’s something so magical for him. We all need a break from everything.”

Niwot High junior Lila Repsher, with support from the school’s Student Council, organized a Wish Week at the school in his honor to raise money for the organization, which has a goal of fulfilling 330 wishes this year.

Niwot High’s Wish Week kicked off Monday with an assembly featuring Vinny. Students cheered and chanted “We love Vinny” in between performances by the band and cheerleaders, student games and acknowledgments of student athletes. To conclude the assembly, Vinny presented a “spirit stick” to the class that showed the most school spirit.

He also exchanged fist bumps with students and shared that his favorite food is chocolate and he’s most looking forward to going on the rides at Disneyland during his March trip.

Grace Ehemann, Make-a-Wish Colorado’s corporate relations manager, told the students and teachers packed into the gym that the week is about coming together around the mission of granting wishes to critically ill children and teens. Doctors, she noted, “prescribe wishes like medicine,” because they make such a big impact for patients.

She said the 200-plus participating Colorado high schools generally raise about a third of the money for the wishes.

“Everyone focuses on something bigger and on working together to make a big change,” she said.

This is Niwot High’s fourth Wish Week. To date, the school has raised about $31,000, enough to cover wishes for four children.

Organizer Lila, a Student Council member, said she got involved after experiencing Wish Week as a freshman. She led both last year’s and this year’s week as a member of the Make-A-Wish Youth Leadership Council.

“I’ve seen a lot of people impacted by a wish,” she said. “You can tell it really does good things.”

Niwot’s week includes basketball games, restaurant giveback nights, spirit days and a school dance, with all the proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Colorado.

“It’s really inspiring how the student body comes together,” she said. “This is the week that we’re closest as a school. Everybody rallies around one kid. It’s just really fun.”

To donate to Niwot High’s Wish Week, go to bit.ly/3WLGBpX.