A West Haven man is in the fight of his life and while he still can he’d love to meet a man he admires, President Trump.
“I would probably be out of breath for a little while because it would be so unreal,” said Jay W. Barrett.
Word has been spreading quickly about Barrett’s bucket list, even apparently to the First Family.
Barrett says he received a special phone call on Monday.
“He goes, ‘This is Eric Trump. Me and my brothers and sisters. We’ve all read your story’,” said Barrett. “We’re seeing that you’re fighting, keep fighting and don’t ever quit.”
Born with cystic fibrosis, which damages the lungs and digestive system, Barrett was only expected to live into his early teens.
Now his future is uncertain with his lungs failing.
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“He texted me and we need to start working on my bucket list,” said Bridgette Hoskie.
Hoskie helped come up with ideas for her brother including seeing a Mets game.
Then he threw a curve ball: what about a trip to Washington D.C. and maybe a presidential sighting?
“I voted for him. He’s got my support 100 percent,” said Barrett.
His sister is a local councilwoman and a Democrat.
“If it’s President Trump or it’s somebody else, I just want to make that come true for him,” said Hoskie.
Hoskie posted online for help to pull it off and the story quickly spread.
Now in home hospice with his sister, Barrett knows a trip to Washington could be tough but it would be worth it to meet the president.
“He’s got a busy schedule. I somewhat got a busy schedule, you know? If he wants to pencil me in, I’m here,” said Barrett.
Barrett tells us he also talked to a Trump administration official, Lynne Patton, with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She organized the call with Eric Trump and says she plans to visit Barrett this weekend.
