From left, Allison Daniel, Ryan Golden, Rebecca Golden and Brittany West meet during Rebecca’s dream trip to Maui.

LAHAINA – If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness and told you had the opportunity to fulfill one dream, what would that be? For Rebecca Golden, a 59-year-old Sun City West, Arizona, Air Force Veteran with terminal lung cancer, her dream was to see the island of Maui with her son, Ryan.

Golden has been living with a permanent disability since her discharge from the Air Force and has spent most of her life caring for others, never allowing the time or funds to fulfill her own dream.

When Rebecca was a young child, her parents went on a vacation to Hawaii.

“I have seen pictures of how beautiful it is there,” she explained, “and all of my life, I have wanted to see it for myself. This is my deepest and only wish that I have before I pass away… I believe this trip would be so calming and serene that it would help me accept my short life expectancy and fulfill my greatest dream.”

She was selected as a recipient of Dream Foundation, a nonprofit organization that serves terminally ill adults and their families by providing end-of-life dreams.

“I had the privilege of meeting Rebecca and her son, Ryan, and it was such a joy to hear about her Maui experience,” said Coconut Condos Property Manager April Ludwick.

“Her face lit up while she divulged details of how each day turned out better than the last. She was so gracious while explaining how honored she was to be given this experience, and she feels eternally grateful for the contributors that played a role in her dream vacation.”

Coconut Condos, a West Maui-based vacation rental management company, partners with Dream Foundation to coordinate these dreams on Maui.

Mike and Angie Leone of Lahaina generously donated a week stay in their beautiful two-bedroom/two-bath vacation rental condo at Aina Nalu. Rebecca and Ryan relaxed on the property as well as enjoyed the beauty of West Maui.

Thanks to Monica Chihara, they attended the Drums of the Pacific Luau at the Hyatt Regency Maui in Kaanapali. They were amazed at the fire dancers and the wonderful buffet.

Qiana and Michele Di Bari donated a dinner at their popular Italian restaurant in Lahaina, Sale Pepe. Rebecca loved the ambiance as well as her delicious lasagna.

On Sunday evening, Trilogy Sailing generously hosted Rebecca and Ryan on a sunset sail, which included a delicious steak dinner and a surprise pod of dolphins swimming beside the boat.

“My favorite part of this trip so far has been the sunset dinner cruise. It was wonderful. We have enjoyed our stay immensely,” Rebecca said.

Coconut Condos looks forward to providing more dreams for people like Rebecca in the future. If you or someone you know would like to make a donation to one of the future dreamers, e-mail info@coconutcondos.com or call (808) 419-1000.

“Mahalo to our community for helping Coconut Condos make these dreams as memorable and fulfilling as possible,” Coconut Condos concluded.