Granting Wishes
Make-A-Wish foundation is dedicated to making what seemed impossible come true.
Make-A-Wish grants the wish of a child diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition in the United States about every 38 minutes. Every 38 minutes a child is given a chance to truly enjoy life. They're given freedom from their diagnosis. For a period of time it no longer dictates what they can do, where they can go, what they can do for others and what they can become. They're reminded that there is more to life than the four walls of a hospital room.
The children I see in my pediatric rotation at Motts Children’s Hospital have a deep-seated resilience. At the end of the day, they simply want to be kids and this gives them something to hold onto and gives them a great deal of the momentum needed to get through each day.
But no child, no matter how strong they are can handle their life changing, life threatening diagnosis with an impenetrable sense of humor and unyielding faith.
This is where the health professionals, the loved ones, the parents come in…
And Mott’s Children’s Hospital does a beautiful job of giving these children the opportunity to simply be kids whenever possible. All the small moments add up. This includes the unlimited opportunities to watch Frozen, the window washers who dress up as superheroes every time they go up to wash the windows, the choices and opportunities the children are given to make their room feel less clinical and a little more like their own and all the nurses who take the time to get to really know each of their patients. This also includes all those the trips to the play room and the chance for patient’s to be with other kids for whom Motts has become their second home-who understand in a way no one else can what it’s like to watch the world passing by outside their window while they’re stuck in a world of tests, procedures and endless pokes.
In the midst of everything these children need reminders that life has more to offer than what’s right in front of them and that there is something out there that will never fail to make them laugh and feel a little lighter.
For children these small moments make a difference and play a significant role in helping them not only recover but also have a life they feel is worth living.
And as vital as these day to day opportunities are, every child still needs those bright splashes of color in their life-the larger than life surprises and reminder that life isn’t always filled with resignation. The world is supposed to be limitless, wide open and full of possibilities.
This is where the wishes come in.
Make-A-Wish foundation gives children the chance to give comfort and hope to others and serve soup to the homeless, to be a teacher, a superhero, to meet and dance with professional ballet dancers, to travel to an orphanage in Nigeria, to Paris, to anywhere in the world they’ve dreamed of going… They’re given the chance to be anything and anyone they want in a world that has taken that away from them.
Children need all the love and support they can get. But the caregivers and loved ones need just as much support as the children and they’re often overlooked. They’re with these children day after day and if they’re not physically with them at the hospital I know they would be if their lives allowed. I bow down to the parents, the guardians of the children I get the chance to care for at Mott’s Children’s Hospital.
When a child becomes eligible and is granted a wish, it brings back that many times almost forgotten, faded feeling of hope to more than just one person. It rubs off on the parents and loved ones too. I see parents and loved ones experiencing the pain, disappointments and fears with these children day after day. The unexpected happiness that comes with a wish being granted has the capacity to fill anyone in the child’s life with HOPE.
It has a profound ripple effect.
“Take Paige, for example. Her child, Cade, had been struggling for over two years with a brain tumor. Cade dreamed of going to Paris, France, to paint the sights. However, the medical treatments were expensive, and it would have been impossible for her to imagine being able to take Cade on such a trip. Make-A-Wish made it possible for Cade and his family to visit Paris in early 2014.
Cade’s mother was clearly moved. She said, “I just feel like Make-A-Wish has changed our lives forever by giving us this opportunity as a family. Nobody in our family will ever forget this.”
After their wish was over, they continued to be involved with Make-A-Wish. Cade created artwork that was featured and auctioned for $445, raising money at the Minnesota chapter’s 2014 Wish Ball. As a family, they continue to battle Cade’s illness with the art of optimism. The courage of Paige is a testament to the indomitable spirit of all wish parents.
A 3-year-old Detroit boy was able to live his dream and become a Detroit firefighter for a day. The man who was in charge of Detroit’s Engine 54 on Tuesday was barely bigger than a fire hydrant. But under that tiny uniform, was a heart boasting the rhythm of a second chance. Tyren Johnson is a heart transplant survivor. He was able to become a Detroit firefighter, all thanks to Make-A-Wish.
“It means a lot. It’s overwhelming,” said Tiesha Johnson, Tyren's mother. “This is special," said Dale Bradley, DFD Chief of Community Relations, "To have a dream come true for a three year old, we are honored to play a part as the Department Fire Department and the City of Detroit. He’s fighting a battle and every day our men and women fight our battle. And it just gives us more encouragement."
Wish parents have been a part of the Make-A-Wish fabric for decades. Wish parents have been bravely demonstrating their valor on behalf of wish kids since the beginning. The very first wish parent was Linda Bergendahl-Pauling. Her 7-year old son, Chris Greicius, tackled leukemia. Chris had one wish: He dreamed of being a police officer. That wish was granted with the help of numerous peace officers working together. Chris was made an honorary DPS state patrolman and was given his own battery-operated police motorcycle.
Shortly after this, Chris Grecius left this world, but his mother pressed onward. She saw how the power of a wish brought light into her son’s life. Linda used the kernel of wisdom that she gained from her son’s tragic passing, and used that to help found the organization that became Make-A-Wish. Thanks to the fortitude of this wish parent, and the thousands of other wish parents since, Make-A-Wish has gone on to grant over 250,000 wishes worldwide.”
This post is for every previous wish child, every child currently waiting for a wish to be granted, every child who doesn’t know yet what’s ahead and will need a wish granted someday and every caregiver, loved one, human being who is in these children’s support network and is in someway affect by what these children have to endure.
We welcome you to join us in supporting these children and everyone in their lives at our next Karma Yoga on Saturday, April 11th at the Cultural Arts Building from 9-10:30am.
And to learn more about the work Make-A-Wish is dedicated to and to read about children's wishes coming true please visit http://wish.org/
