by Katie Green, Wish Mom
Flying like Tinker Bell in a plane, dining with Disney Princesses, meeting a star fairy, having unlimited carousel rides, being tucked into bed by bunnies, being chosen for a magical wand, and swimming with real-life mermaids…these are only a handful of the amazing moments we had on Alayah’s wish trip. Continue reading
By: Melissa Heffron, Wish Mom
At the very moment your child receives a life-threatening diagnosis, life, as you know it, ceases to exist. As you slowly start to digest the conversation that you had with the doctor, you gradually find yourself falling into an unimaginably scary, deep, and never ending abyss. You start questioning everything – science, yourself, the environment, God. You wonder how you’re going to put one foot in front of the other, let alone care for the rest of your family. In your deepest despair, you silently debate whether or not anyone would care if you stayed in your room and never emerged. Continue reading
by Olivia Faith Lounsbury, Wish Kid
You know when you’re a little kid, and you always dreamed of being a ballerina, or a firefighter, or a teacher, or a princess?
Each and every child is deserving of this outlook, for at least the nascent stages of their lives. The world through those innocent, rose-colored glasses is something we all look back on fondly, reminiscing of a simpler time.
What happens when this shining outlook is stolen from a four-year-old, seized without any hope of recapture? What happens when this child begins to lose the hope that makes them just that: a child. Once those stylish rose-colored glasses come off, is there any way to put them back on?
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) stole my life for one year and two months, and fortified every minute thereafter. I was brought to the hospital on my fourth birthday. While all of the other children were enjoying cake, concerned only with the thought of not having a second serving, I was laying in my mother’s bed, listening to the din of what was supposed to be my birthday party. I couldn’t sleep but I felt like I needed to rest for five years. Something was wrong. Continue reading
By Brian Heffron, Wish Dad
In May 2014, while giving my daughter a bath, my wife and I noticed something odd. In addition to looking very pale, she had tiny red dots and bruises on her body. We decided to have our pediatrician check it out, but were not worried.
Twenty four hours later, Kyla was rushed to the emergency room. She was running out of blood. And what was more frightening is that the doctors were not sure why.
After weeks of transfusions and countless tests, Kyla was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia, an extremely rare disease that nearly ceases her body’s production of blood cells and causes her body’s immune system to fail to fight against even the weakest of germs. After spending the majority of half a year inpatient at our local children’s hospital, doctors informed us the treatment was not working. The only option for Kyla’s survival was a bone marrow transplant at Boston Children’s Hospital. Continue reading
By Breonna Popluhar, Wish Kid
In November, I was told that Make-A-Wish® Central New York had granted my wish to go to Maui, Hawaii on my birthday. I was beyond excited. As far as vacations go, my family and I had never really been anywhere tropical, so I knew this would be a good experience.
We arrived in Maui on November 11, the day before my birthday. As soon as we got off the plane, I knew it would be great. We were immediately greeted by a Make-A-Wish® Hawaii volunteer, who kindly gave us beautiful flowery leis and tips about things to do on the island and how to get around. The hotel we stayed at was beautiful. Every morning there was a penguin feeding in the main lobby, which was wicked cool. The pool area was huge and there was a path behind it that led to different places around the island. Continue reading
Black Friday. Cyber Monday. Giving Tuesday.
You’ve heard the chatter about this special day, the day of philanthropy celebrated the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. But did you know, since being initiated in 2012, Giving Tuesday has grown into a global movement of fundraising for nonprofits?
It has inspired everything from collection drives for food, blood an
d clothing banks, to monetary donations and random acts of kindness. Last year alone, Giving Tuesday inspired $117 million in donations, which was raised for charities in more than 70 countries.
With so many worthy organizations deserving of your support, we ask you on this Giving Tuesday to keep Make-A-Wish in your charitable giving thoughts and actions. Continue reading
By Simon Staples-Vangel, Wish Kid
I’m writing this post just a few days shy of my twenty-third birthday. It was over eighteen years ago that I was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma, and it’s been almost seventeen years since my Make-A-Wish experience. While that timespan makes it feel like a lifetime ago, I still have vivid memories of my treatment and, of course, my wish. It’s difficult for those who aren’t in the pediatric cancer community to grasp what a child goes through during such an aggressive cancer treatment. No doubt, they know that it is a painful and miserable experience, but they don’t understand the situation from the perspective of a young child. Continue reading
