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The summer season is your immediate opportunity to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses!
Have you ever had a life-changing summer?
Children with critical illnesses are anxiously waiting for their summer wishes to
come true – and through the months of June, July and August, you have the power
to create the hope and joy they urgently need in their fight against their illness.
While most children are enjoying playing outside and traveling with their families,
children with critical illnesses are battling treatments and procedures that can feel
scary and isolating. Right now, you can help grant these kids' wishes and make a huge
splash in their lives, in the lives of their families and for everyone involved in making those wishes come true.
How you can help
Nia’s Wish Sparks Joy and Creates
Everlasting Family Memories
Help Grant Summer Wishes
Make-A-Wish plans every wish with one goal: to transform the life of a child with a critical illness. Care and attention are given to every little detail. Your donation supports wish-granting needs and empowers the kids Make-A-Wish serves, bringing them hope for today – and tomorrow.
What your gift can do
Summer wish stories
Nia’s parents describe her as a “firecracker” with a joyful heart and a
passion for hosting tea parties with her family. Despite her active
disposition, Nia lives with a rare disease that creates many challenges
in her life.
Her condition causes her to spend many long days and nights in the
hospital. Through it all, the promise of a wish created a spark of
hope that nurtured Nia’s mental and emotional well-being.
When thinking about what she wanted to wish for, Nia
remembered cherished days spent laughing with her family on the
beach. Nia knew that her heartfelt wish was to recreate those happy memories and incorporate her love for tea parties – she wished to have high tea on the beach!
When the special day finally arrived, Nia dressed in a whimsical mermaid dress complete with sequins, purple bows and a tulle train. Nia was bursting with excitement when she arrived at a serene beach with glistening waves and warm sand. She giggled with pure joy as she took in the tropical oasis that Make-A-Wish created just for her.
A pink and purple tent made of ribbons shaded a table that was decked out in luxurious flowers and teacups and tea kettles in her favorite colors. An assortment of fluffy pillows surrounded the table, creating a perfect place for Nia and her family to relax.
Nia spent her wish day laughing, running on the beach, twirling in her new dress, enjoying sweet tea and delicious treats, and beaming with joy as she made everlasting memories with her family. Nia’s wish empowered her to experience life beyond illness and filled her entire family with renewed hope for better days ahead.
I wish to have high tea on the beach
Nia, 4
rare disease
I wish to learn how to surf
Hunter, 4
end stage renal disease
Alice's Wish Brings Splashes of Joy and Therapeutic Play
Alice was 18 months old when she was diagnosed with liver cancer.
It wasn’t medically possible to remove many of her tumors, so the family
waited in fear for a liver transplant.
While in the hospital, the only thing that Alice could see out of her
window was birds, and she talked about them all the time. When the
family had opportunities to venture outside, they enjoyed hikes
and bird watching. On one of their outings, Alice’s parents took
her to a lake to relax in the water, far away from her treatment
room walls. Alice laughed so much during that experience – it
became clear that a water-related wish would bring her the most joy.
As Alice recovered post-transplant, her medical team said that she could not be in stagnant lake water. Alice wished for an above-ground pool to safely play. The pool gave Alice a space to rediscover her love for the outdoors. And while all pool days are fun for Alice, her parents are thrilled that they can also incorporate therapeutic play while in the water to build on her physical, mental and emotional wellness.
Alice’s parents shared that Make-A-Wish gave Alice the gift of childhood back along with a sense of normalcy. Alice’s wish continues to bring her entire family much-deserved carefree fun after a season of pain and sickness.
I wish to have an above-ground pool
Alice, 4
liver transplant
Dayonie's Wish is a Source of Joy and Togetherness for His Entire Family
Dayonie is described as a “fireball” with a vibrant personality and love for laughter. More than anything, Dayonie enjoys spending time with his siblings. But when Dayonie was only 5 years old, his entire life was turned upside down by a devastating cancer diagnosis. “It was traumatic for our entire family,” said Daniel, Dayonie’s dad.
What followed were long days and nights of intensive, isolating treatments and many trips to a neighboring state for doctor’s appointments. And Dayonie desperately missed his siblings. He longed for carefree days spent laughing and playing with the people he loved most.
When Dayonie connected with Make-A-Wish, his heart was filled with renewed hope. After a season of heartbreak and pain, Dayonie knew that his wish was to have a backyard clubhouse that he could share with his siblings. “It’s not just the patient who goes through cancer – the whole family does, too,” Daniel said. “And for this beautiful thing to happen to our family – it gave us hope and something to look forward to when we all needed it.”
Make-A-Wish connected Dayonie with vendors who helped design a custom clubhouse. The moment Dayonie saw his completed clubhouse for the first time he shrieked with joy. Joined by his siblings, he ran to the clubhouse to explore all it had to offer. Dayonie beamed with excitement as he looked out the window at his dad and shouted, “This is the best day of my life!”
Today, the clubhouse is a constant source of joy and togetherness for the entire family. The kids continue to spend countless hours within its walls drawing, dancing, playing and enjoying the simple pleasures of childhood.
“A wish can help jumpstart the rest of your life,” Daniel said. “It showed us that wishes can come true and one day [Dayonie] can be cancer-free for life.”
I wish to have a backyard clubhouse
Dayonie, 5
cancer
Hunter’s Wish Helps Him Build
Confidence and Strength
Hunter loves the beach, pool and riding in planes. He had always watched his older siblings surf, and he always wanted to learn how to surf himself. He thought California would be the perfect place to do so, and, as a Florida resident, it would give him an excellent opportunity to fly in a plane, too.
When Hunter's wish came true, he, his mom and dad, brother and two sisters were picked up by a limo and made their way to the airport. They arrived in Santa Barbara in the late afternoon and headed straight to the hotel to rest up for Hunter’s very first surfing lesson the next day.
Hunter’s first surfing lesson took place at Mondos Beach, which is where he met his surf instructor, who presented Hunter with lots of cool surf gifts. Hunter took surf lessons over the course of his wish experience and he was very successful! He was able to stand up on the surfboard multiple times and by the look of his face, anyone could tell that he was having a blast. Hunter was also able to go on a guided kayak tour and a private sunset cruise.
Hunter's wish was not just a nice experience during which he learned something new. It was a life-changing turning point in his treatment journey - one that helped him feel more joyful, confident and hopeful for the future. He and his family had an unforgettable wish trip In California, and now Hunter can surf alongside his siblings back home.
I wish to learn how to surf
Hunter, 4
end stage renal disease
Help Grant Summer Wishes
David's Wish Restores Hope
When He Needs It Most
At 13 years old, David has gone through more hardships than most people experience in a lifetime. After moving in with his grandparents and adjusting to a new living arrangement, David’s brother, Eduardo, unexpectedly passed away. This heartbreaking loss devastated David. His brother had been his best friend. They loved to play basketball together and bond over their shared passion for lowrider bikes.
Shortly after Eduardo’s death, David was hit with another heartbreaking blow – he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Already grief-stricken, David was now forced to make daily trips to his doctor’s office to endure grueling treatments. In those moments, David struggled to find the strength to fight.
When Make-A-Wish entered his life, David finally saw a glimmer of hope. He and Eduardo had always talked about their goal to own a lowrider bike someday. He saw his wish as a chance to finally have the bike he’d always wanted, while honoring his brother. David wished for a customized blue and chrome lowrider bike with Eduardo’s name on it.
On the day of his wish reveal, David stood surrounded by family in his front yard, a beaming smile on his face. The moment he saw his freshly polished, souped-up lowrider bike for the first time, his face lit up with excitement. “It’s perfect!” he shouted, running to the bike and touching the place where Eduardo’s name was painted on the frame.
“It was complete joy,” Maria said. “The wish has brought so much joy to David’s life. He now has something he can look forward to every morning. He can physically touch it, hold it and see it, and that brings him so much happiness ... He is touched that he himself was a recipient of a wish.”
I wish to have a customized lowrider bike
David, 13
brain tumor
heading - 32, 51
body - 22, 35
spacing - 25 btw h+b
spacing - 50 btw sections, 100 btw stories
spacing - 30 btw wk + body
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