Like all children, Colin Ward can’t help but to dream big.

Unlike most, however, the dreams and wishes of this 4-year-old from Richland, Wash., are tempered by the reality of having to wrestle with the effects of a life-threatening illness each and every day.

At 15 months, Colin was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), a fast-growing cancer of the white blood cells which diminishes the body’s ability to fight off infections.

But thanks to the Pacific Northwest Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the owners of San Juan Excursions, Colin’s dream of traveling to the San Juans to search for killer whales from the deck of a whale-watch boat is no longer a fantasy.

That dream will become a reality on Friday, at about 1 p.m., when Colin and his family climb aboard San Juan Excursions’ flagship, the Odyssey, and then sets sail out of Friday Harbor.

But that’s not all.

In honor of this courageous youngster, the Town of Friday Harbor has proclaimed Friday to be “Colin’s Wish Day”. That proclamation, authorized by Mayor David Jones, will be read by town Councilwoman Carrie Brooks as part of an informal and brief gathering at the Port of Friday Harbor. Everyone is encouraged to attend the gathering, which begins at 12:30 p.m., and to wish Colin a hearty “Bon Voyage”, Brooks said.

Making Colin’s dream come true is the 4,000th wish that the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s northwest chapter has turned into reality since its inception in 1986. The local chapter grants nearly 300 wishes a year of children who’s lives, like Colin’s, have been disrupted by a life-threatening medical conditions.

For info about the local Make-A-Wish chapter visit www.northwestwishe.org