Meet Wesley, a young man whose entire life has been defined by beating the odds.

Wesley is a 20-year-old from Roberts, Montana, and calling him “remarkable” barely scratches the surface. Born in 2005 and given just six months to live, Wesley endured 31 surgeries, had no functioning immune system for most of his childhood, and spent years wearing a helmet for protection. He battled a rare blood disorder, neurological complications, and episodes of organ failure. He was tube-fed until age 16 and didn’t take his first bite of real food until then.

Doctors said he would never progress physically or mentally, but Wesley has spent the last two decades proving them wrong. He learned to walk at age 5, lost muscle and the ability to walk again, and through years of hard work and therapies, regained that ability at age 7. He still battles adrenal insufficiency every single day. He grew up isolated from other kids because of his health, but he never lost his desire to learn, explore, and experience life. His mom moved their entire world to Spokane and Seattle Children’s to keep him alive. When he finally stabilized, they returned home to Montana, and Wesley has been thriving ever since.

Because of his medical journey, Wesley’s development has looked different than most, but he is one of the most enthusiastic, talkative, and kind young men you could imagine. He loves helping people, he loves learning, and he has always wanted to do what his family does, hunt. His brothers hunt, his mom hunts, but Wesley, due to years of medical restrictions, never got the chance.

Until now.

This fall, Wesley was selected for his first ever big-game hunt with Outdoor Dreams, guided by Josh Sanofsky and Conlan McConnell on land generously provided by Sam Helmer. From the moment he arrived, Wesley’s excitement was unlike anything we’ve seen. He probably said “thank you for choosing me” a dozen times before we got to the first glassing point.

And like every new hunter, he got his first taste of buck fever. His first shot at a great whitetail buck at 200 yards was a clean miss, the kind of moment every hunter remembers forever. But Wesley handled it with a level of maturity that impressed all of us. He listened, he learned, and when the next opportunity came on a beautiful 3-point mule deer at nearly the same distance, he made it count. His shot was perfect on video, and the buck went only 20 yards before piling up.

The celebration that followed is something none of us will ever forget.

Wesley doesn’t have a father figure in his life, so this hunt was more than a harvest, it was mentorship, connection, belonging. It was a young man experiencing a tradition he’s dreamed of but never believed he would get to be part of. And the moment his buck was loaded up, he looked over and asked the question every seasoned hunter recognizes,

“When can I do this again?”

To make it even more special, Wesley had a brief encounter with the biggest whitetail Josh or Conlan had ever seen in their lives, a giant old buck at 300 yards that spotted our movement at the last second before Wesley could get the rifle on him. Wesley talked about that deer the rest of the day. Moments like that light a fire that lasts a lifetime.

And the good news, he’s not done. Later this month, we’re taking Wesley back out to the N-Bar to chase his first elk, continuing a journey that began long before he ever stepped into the field.

Please join us in thanking Sam Helmer for allowing us to hunt his incredible property and teaching us the ins and outs of this deer ground, Josh Sanofsky for guiding, mentoring, and giving Wesley a world-class experience, and Conlan McConnell, our founder and president, for guiding and helping make this dream possible.

Wesley has spent his life fighting uphill battles most of us can’t imagine. But out there in the woods, watching him take it all in, you would never know it. He belonged, he earned it, and he reminded all of us what this mission is really about.

Outdoor Dreams exists for kids like Wesley, kids who deserve the chance to experience something bigger than their challenges. This is just the beginning for him, and we’re honored to be part of his story.