Merced parade is part of boy’s wish

The Merced Christmas parade on Saturday featured Santa, horses, motorcycles and one 4-year-old grand marshal.

Raidyn Saechao rode in the back of a truck waving bashfully while sitting next to his mom, Joanmae Hernandez, 30, of Merced. Sitting in the captain’s chair during the procession was part of Raidyn’s gift from the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Raidyn will also leave Monday to go to Disneyland. His mother said he can’t get enough of Disney’s “Cars” and particularly Mater the tow truck. So, of course, he wants to see Cars Land at Disneyland.

“Once he sees it, he’ll be in awe,” she said.

Shortly after his birth July 16, 2011, Raidyn was diagnosed with a blood disorder called beta thalassemia with hemoglobin E trait.

The inherited blood disorder is characterized by less hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells in the body than normal, according to the Mayo Clinic, a medical practice and research group in Minnesota. The low hemoglobin and fewer red blood cells may cause anemia, leaving a person fatigued.

With the help of his pediatricians and hematologist, Raidyn received his first blood transfusion right after he turned 1, according to his mom. Since then, he gets monthly blood transfusions.

But, she said, transfusions come with another health risk – iron overload. Such a condition puts extra wear on the heart, liver and other organs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

To combat that, he has to take medication and have regular magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, scans. He also has what doctors call a “portacath” – a catheter to his veins – because he has to receive so many transfusions, his mother said.

Hernandez said she was grateful for the chance to ride in the parade with her son, a chance not many people get.

“I think it’s pretty cool,” she said. “It’s just a great experience.”

Originally from Seattle, Hernandez said, the family moved to Merced about three years ago.

Merced’s parade, themed “A Miracle on Main Street,” offered souped-up cars, dogs wearing clothes, marching bands, dancing horses and many more sights.

The Christmas spirit was celebrated in more than just Merced.

“Christmas Past, Present and Future” was the theme of Atwater’s parade, emceed by Roy Torres, a former Atwater Chamber of Commerce president, and California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Onsurez.

“Some people call me a little over-animated, but I have fun,” Torres said. “I remember when my kids were little and we had a lot of fun, and I just want to create that atmosphere for the youth here in Atwater.”

Torres has been master of ceremonies for several years. “It’s a tradition and that’s what I love about this hometown feel here,” he said.

The parade featured music both festive and patriotic, with “God Bless America” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

Alice Gilbertson, a member of the chamber’s board of directors, headed up the committee that put the parade together. “We’re happy to see the crowd that came out, the weather cooperated and Santa made it,” she said.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Merced parade is part of boy’s wish."