For Ben Szakun, wonton soup is more than an ancient Chinese entrée.

The mixture of dumplings, noodles and broth signifies perseverance, triumph, the end of one conquest and the beginning of another journey.

And, most importantly, hope.

The 15-year-old from North Delta has eaten a lot of soup over the years and he’s earned every slurp of his comfort food. Born with congenital heart defect, Ben has undergone 14 surgeries and procedures, beginning with a 14-hour open-heart surgery when he was just six-months-old.

A myriad of different problems with the plumbing of Ben’s heart presented at birth and he now lives with an internal pacemaker and defibrillator; you wouldn’t know it from looking at him, but he’s part Ironman.

He’s got the same tenacity of Tony Stark as well.

That’s what recently drew Ben to sharing wonton soup with his hero at Kirin restaurant in Vancouver.

Because of the difficulties Ben has overcome, the Make-A-Wish Foundation BC & Yukon Chapter gave him the opportunity to have a wish come true, whatever wish he could dream up.

His three older siblings envisioned a tropical family vacation. Mom thought visiting Oprah would be neat. Dad knew it would be hockey related, most likely involving the Canucks.

Ben was precise with his request: “I wish to have wonton soup with Alexandre Burrows!”

Next thing Ben knew, he was at Rogers Arena watching the Canucks practice in late January. Wearing a yellow, orange and black flying skate jersey, with a blue Canucks Burrows shirt underneath, Ben admired his idols from a far until he was given media access to the dressing room post-practice. That’s when he met Alex Burrows for the first time and thus began the best afternoon of Ben’s life.

He received a personal tour of the Canucks room from Burrows ending a Gate 16 of Rogers Arena, where a black stretch limousine was waiting. Ben and Alex were first in, following by Ben’s parents Jerry and Janet, his sister, and three staff members from Make-A-Wish and the Canucks.