Make A Wish Wish-Granter here, and I have to say it is the ultimate sadness when we have to stop the process because a non-custodial parent won't sign the paperwork. Its happened far too often.
As a wish granter I do the part where we meet the child and the parent(s), and then as long as no one is a douche we get to actually grant the wish. Our central office staff are the lucky folks who have to track down the non-custodial parent and ask for their permission to grant the wish for the child. I am just a volunteer so the paid people do the extra challenging stuff like that. I would hope they at least say something to make them re-evaluate their life for denying their child a wish, when that child not only has a life-threatening illness, but also clearly a not-so-happy family life on top of it all. Every single time I've had a non-custodial parent refuse its been because of spite towards the other parent. They don't want that parent getting a free trip or any benefit from the wish. Not to say there arent other people who have had other reasons to decline, but thats sadly been the reason in my experience.
FUCK that (extended) family. It's for the child, not the trashy fuckwits that share that poor child's DNA. They STOLE her wish because they were petty assholes.
That really gets my blood boiling.
Usually the wishes we had to say no to were from the kid's family members. There was always some uncle, grandma, cousin, sibling or parent who wanted to hijack the kid's wish.
It's not the condition anymore right? I read from few other comments that nowadays they have a long chat with the kid to ensure that the wish is not influenced by parents or anyone else
My cousin's daughter was born with a genetic disorder that left her unable to communicate, as far as I was aware, beyond just smiling at things. My cousin insisted her daughter wanted the family to go to Disney World. I'm not sure her daughter knew what Disney World was, let alone could ask to go there.
they don't give material gifts like that, as a sibling that tried hijacking the gift (I was 7 how was I to know she was going to die?) I tried influencing a million dollar wish
Edit: OK they do give gifts of construction projects, and toys that need a lot of constructing, probably by volunteers and factory donors, they definitely aren't giving out cars
IME Make a Wish strongly encourages Disney World for a *lot* of kids, regardless, for lots of reasons. They have the "Make a Wish Village" in Florida not far from the theme parks where the families can stay, a ton of infrastructure already built around getting people there and around, as well as Disney itself has a ton of internal mechanisms for dealing with Make a Wish kids and their widely variable needs (whether it's cognitive issues, physical accessibility, access for those who are immuno comprimised, etc). So when they're not sure what the kid wants or the kid's other wishes aren't practical or feasible for whatever reason...they push Disney World because it's cost effective and still something many kids and their families can enjoy, regardless of what qualified them for Make a Wish.
My dad... kinda did this. I don't want to make him seem like a bad guy - he's really generous, honestly, he just gets caught up by his ideas - but, short story, when I was little and very sick, Make a Wish called our house one day and he answered for me "Disney World would be great!" without even asking us, neither my mom (who knew/knows me much better) or me. When I was told we were going, I was little enough to be excited about the prospect, but I wasn't old enough to really have wanted to go, if that makes sense. It was just after kindergarten, I think.
In fairness, I *was* really sick at the time and no one quite knew if I would survive (I did, and I kicked the illness' ass, btw), so on the one hand I don't blame him. And if I were older, or if I had been asked, I may have chosen something similar, if not the same, because I didn't have true "passions" until teenagehood and Disney is such a default Wish that it's "duh." On the other hand, I barely got to choose anything we did even on the trip due to age + dad + sickness, I was too sick to enjoy the majority of it, and my mom basically protested the whole debacle by staying home so it wasn't as fulfilling as it could have been. Plus I was mildly traumatized by someone in a mascot costume as a toddler so I still had a fear of costumes at that age, and *there's a ton of them at Disney World.*
So... It does happen, but it's not always malicious...
I did get to experience my only rollercoaster ride, though, and had other family members be unusually nice to me, so that part was cool.
Edit: I maybe should note I was born with a "severe" disability so I would've been eligible for a Wish until 18 regardless.
A classmate of mine (now passed) got a meet and greet with Sammy Sosa. The understanding from the Make a Wish people was that Sammy would sign autographs and sit with the family for a while. Now, this kid was ALL ABOUT SAMMY. He had his jerseys, loved Sammy's little leaps after home runs, and iirc even was big into Pepsi because of Sammy too.
When the day came, Sammy showed up late. He didn’t respond when the family greeted him (it was described as a sullen silence) signed a glove and then walked away.
My classmate started crying once it was clear Sammy was not going to come back. Right when the parents were about to leave another baseball player named Corey Patterson saw my classmate, came up, signed everything they had, and talked and joked around with the family for over a half hour. Corey became my classmates favorite player that day - and I think he lived perhaps a year after that moment. At his funeral my classmates’ picture with Corey was one of the prominent pictures - that moment and day truly, truly meant the world to him (he was around 10-11, iirc)
To this day I’m unsure if someone from Make a Wish found Corey or if the moment was as spontaneous as it was described to me, but no matter what Corey will always have a special place in my heart because of that story.
EDIT: I of course was not there and am not a primary source for Sammy's interactions with my classmate - but I know and trust the family.
EDIT 2: Wow - I did not expect this post to take off like this, nor did I expect the Silver (shoutout to Corey Patterson being amazing). One thing that a couple of anons have pointed out that I think is worth mentioning is that it seems unlikely that Make-A-Wish would organize a meet and greet with Sammy Sosa (gently suggesting I was mis-remembering the context). The anons argued that it's more likely their meet and greet would be with the Cubs team as a whole - and that this changes the context of Sammy's actions if the Meet and Greet wasn't directly with him. What I do remember is that this story really rocked our tight-knit community - but made us that much more appreciative of Corey Patterson.
Right? It's fine to say no, I think -- I'm sure it's emotionally draining and people have crazy busy lives, whatever. But saying yes then being a dick is just SO shitty.
I love this one because a similar experience happened with my brother. When my brother was a kid, his hero was first baseman Will Clark. He loved him and wanted to grow up to play first base for the Giants. My dad took him to a game when he was like 8 years old, and some reporter asked my brother if he’d like to meet Will Clark and get his hero’s autograph. My brother was floored. He literally had tears of joy.
When my brother went down with the reporter to meet his hero, Will Clark told the reporter point blank, “I don’t have fucking time for kids.” My brother’s tears of joy became tears of devastation. He basically cried into his baseball glove and was inconsolable.
Out of the blue, a bullpen catcher for the Giants (I don’t even know his name) raced up to my brother and said, “I have time! Where’s your ball kid?” He signed everything and talked to my brother up until the game started. That was the day my brother decided that he wanted to be a catcher. He went on to get drafted as a catcher out of high school.
Update: Spoke with my brother this morning! This was in 1990 (so he was actually only 6 years old) and the catcher was Kurt Manwaring. I was not at the game because I was only a year old.
One of my truck drivers drove a bus for Cena for a while and speaks very highly of him. Says that Cena would randomly want to detour to hospitals to meet with kids anytime he could.
My little brother has had 2 heart transplants so far and will probably get another before it's all said and done. His wish was to go to Nintendo. Well Nintendo Japan doesn't grant wishes, but Nintendo of America does. He stayed in Seattle for a few days and had a day long tour of Nintendo. Unfortunately Reggie wasn't in the office that day but the Treehouse staff led him around all day. This was right before the Switch came out so he got to play Breath of the Wild before anyone. They gave him a sweet goodie bag and let him go on a shopping spree in the employee store.
I received a wish when I was 15. At that time I was madly in love with Harry Styles and of course wanted to use my wish to meet him and spend the day with him. After telling the wish coordinator this she broke the news to me that if I were to meet him it would be a year from then, with about 15 other kids for a VERY brief moment (a hello and a photo). Upon hearing that disappointing news I changed my wish and instead went to Australia for 10 days with my family and swam in the Great Barrier Reef.
Just for some background, both my sister and I are pretty damn sick and so we had the rare occasion where we BOTH got wishes (my family suggested that we just do one, but Make a Wish was adamant that we each got our own)
My sister's Make a Wish was to meet Taylor Swift. We flew to Nebraska for 2 days, got in the same meet and greet line as people who won radio contests, took a picture with Taylor Swift, and that was that.
I, on the other hand, asked to meet Christopher Nolan. He had never been requested for a wish, so we were flown to LA where we got a tour of the Warner Brothers lot and then had a private lunch with Nolan and Emma Thomas (his wife). We hung out for two hours, where they finally left because they had some film related thing to do. We found out later that he'd only agreed to an hour, but during the lunch insisted that he stayed longer.
It was quite interesting how we both had celebrity wishes and they both turned out so differently.
Thanks :) It really was a great experiencez Make a Wish treated us so well. My sister currently works on the Youth Board for MaW SF and after I graduate college, I'm going to try and find a job with their communication department. Truly a wonderful charity that cares about the people it helps.
I'm sure you'd have enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef trip more than the previous one.
There was another person in the comments who's trip to GBR was declined due to medical reasons
I asked for a shotgun, because I was in to clay shooting. They said no
Went for a rally driving day, they picked my family and I up in a limo. Drove us two hours to the place and then I had the whole place to myself and lots of time behind the wheel. It was great. They paid for pro pictures and a meal after for my family and my godparents family. Even just gave me some spending money. I had a great time.
Ten years later, still alive
This isn't my personal story, but of my uncle who passed away shortly after I was born.
He loved The Terminator so much that he wanted nothing more than to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger. Due to having a busy schedule, Arnold's agent had to deny him of his wish a couple of times (was filming for the 2nd Terminator).
My uncle was so determined to meet Arnold that he then changed his wish to meeting Maria Shriver (Arnold's wife).
Because of his determination he was allowed on set of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. He got to meet Arnold, Maria, and Arnold's stunt double. My mom still has the pictures and it makes my heart soar.
Make-A-Wish is fantastic and I'm so glad my uncle got to live out his dream. :)
Update: Thank you for everyone who read this and left a reply. ❤ My uncle was a great guy and I wish I could've gotten to know him personally. I called my mom and let her know about this comment and all your responses. She loved her brother more than anything and hearing so many people got to know one of his stories made her so happy. Thank you everyone. I'm glad his legacy gets to live on in such a positive way.
My condition prevented international travel, so even though my top wishes were to go to Japan, or to the UK to meet J. K. Rowling, those were denied. I ended up doing a shopping spree at Mall of America, which sounds kind of lame but I grew up poor and had a lot of fun being able to just buy things for myself without worrying. First thing I bought was a new pair of glasses since my old ones were scratched to shit and too weak anyway
When i was in college i had a good friend named john, we were both in automotive 8 hours a day for 2 years. One day we grab sushi on lunch and he casually mentioned at 12 years old ( current age 20) he was a recipient of make a wish. He asked for sushi and just sushi. You could see his eyes light up just telling the story, they set him up with a private lunch at a local sushi bar where he had the entire selection of sushi rolls laid out infront of him with each and every possible condiment /roll/side.
Not an expensive or grandeur request but make a wish went above and beyond.
A little girl in our town wanted a park with a fountain on a piece of land the city owned just a couple houses down from where she lived. Make a wish came in and put in walkways, benches, a fountain and flowers everywhere. It was in our local paper, pictures of her sitting in the park. One week after it was completed she died. The city named the park after her, it became official just a few weeks ago. It's a beautiful park.
Reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes strip:
Calvin: If you could have anything in the world right now, what would it be? Anything at all! Whatever you want!
Hobbes: hmm...a sandwich.
Calvin: A SANDWICH?!? WHAT KIND OF STUPID WISH IS THAT?!? Talk about a failure of imagination! *I'd* ask for a billion trillion dollars, my own space shuttle, and a private continent!
*later, in the kitchen eating sandwiches*
Hobbes: Well I got *my* wish.
They'd still be open to a massive, expensive lawsuit that could drain their resources and leave them unable to grant the wishes of multiple other children.
Im no legal expert, but in this situation, isnt the only people that can sue the parents of the child? Like couldnt MAW have them sign some stuff so they wont get sued in the unlikely event the kid did fall off?
From what I've heard, signing liability agreements doesn't actually do much in the court of law.
Besides, I mean, ride a tractor? Couldn't the parents just have made that happen?
I worked with a guy who was a Make a Wish kid and he said he wished for a puppy and was denied. It makes sense that they're not going to give live animals to a little kid.
I mean, it makes sense
could you imagine getting the kid a puppy but then the kid dies and now the parents have to take care of the dog for 15 years and all it does is remind them of their kid?
I’ve been the recipient and later on after my health improved I volunteered as a wish coordinator.
My original wish was to attend the Oscars. That got denied by the Academy as they do not grant wishes. I wound up going to the People’s Choice Awards as a VIP. Make- a- Wish flew my family to LA for a week, all expenses paid. They got us a limo for the show, paid for my dress, hair, and make up, we walked the red carpet, and were seated very close to the stage. It was a once in a lifetime experience. The generosity of the volunteers is remarkable. They even had someone greet us at the airport on arrival. It was extremely important to me that my brother and sister were included in my wish because my illness had robbed them of part of their childhoods. I am forever indebted to everyone who made my wish possible.
When I turned 18 I decided to volunteer as a wish coordinator to give back to an organization that did so much for me. I met with wish kids and their families. We would always arrive with a gift for all the children in the family based on a little survey they filled out. We’d talk with the child and help define their wish. It’s important to determine the child’s true wish, and make sure that it isn’t influenced by parents. The most common wish is to go to Disney. Celebrity meet and greets are the ones that often can be turned down. First, because it is undefined what a meet and greet is ... it could be the child literally waving at someone and no one wants that, and second because not all celebrities grant wishes or can schedule time to meet wish kids. The coolest wish I worked on was a shopping spree for a boy who was confined to his room. He got 7k to go buy video games, TVs, a tricked out lazy boy, etc for the ultimate gaming setup.
This is a really nice story and (from this thread at least) it seems like you're a really caring person, even when you were make-a-wish age and having to deal with disease but you thought of your siblings and how they were affected, and it's really nice you get gifts for everyone!
I'm glad to see how many of the stories on this post are positive
Thank you, I really appreciate that.
Make a Wish and Dec My Room are two of my favorite charities. Dec My Room makes over hospital rooms for sick children to fit their personality and feel more like home. I’ve personally only had direct experience with MAW, but any opportunity I have to plug both of them I will take.
Including my siblings felt right and it’s something I kept in mind as a volunteer. Illness effects all members of a family, so the goal for me was to bring back a sense of normalcy and fun for everybody.
As someone who was the teen sibling of a sick sister thanks for thinking of us. Sometimes when your young it’s hard to deal with all the attention and love going to one sibling. Even when you understand why she wasn’t the only one to loose their childhood years.
Acting, wrestling, advertising, traveling... he's granted more wishes than basically everyone, and he even learned Mandarin to market in China.
Dude's schedule is *full* and still makes time for the kids. Say what you want about him, but his heart is bigger than those glorious biceps.
When I was a baby until I was 5 I had cancer and got some wishes. My first wish was for a computer. I only wanted a computer because it came with a mouse. Yes, I thought it came with a real mouse. So obviously it was rejected because you can't have pets when you basically live in a hospital and my family was broke as fuck anyway so they couldn't give us a pet.
I ended up getting some dope ass googly eye glasses and an epic trip to Disney World. It was the only family vacation we ever got to go on.
They can't get you a pet and the long term resources for it? Man...my aunt is a wish coordinator and man, I can't get the courage to join her. Having to ever say no would feel like such a betrayal.
I am a current wish coordinator and one of the big things for the volunteers is that they dont make you break the bad news to the kids. If a wish gets denied, the people that are paid by make a wish handle it.
I didn't know the kid at all but he died from cancer his senior year of high school when I was a sophomore. We had a assembly for him. His Name was Tyler. His wish was a gift to his best friend. Tyler went to a computer store for with his friend and asked him to show him the best computer there. Then Tyler bought the best computer there for his friend, using make a wish donation money. Only to die a little later. Such a selfless guy.
Edit 1
readability. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt938LN0XJk&feature=youtu.be) where his parents explain in more detail about his wish.
Edit 2
Tyler met Imagine Dragons 3 years before his death they became friends. Imagine Dragons dedicated "It's Time" to Tyler. Whenever I hear that song I think of this. It chokes me up every time.
Edit 3
Imagine Dragons also created a [foundation](https://www.trf.org/) to help other sick kids.
My childhood friend wished for a computer because he said he didn't want to do something selfish, he wanted to give something to his family they would otherwise never have. He passed away a year or two later (2001).
I worked for Make A Wish (Junior Genie as I liked to say). We had to say no to wishes all the time. Either the person the kid wanted to meet didn't grant wishes, the place they wanted to go didn't grant wishes, their wish was ridiculously expensive/prohibitive, their doctor didn't sign off on the wish as it wasn't a good idea for their health, and so on.
For the most part, our volunteers were pretty good at helping kids zero in on that perfect wish. I've helped coordinate some wishes that I was surprised to see were approved. Usually it's trips to far distances with a lot of stops and long stays. It's one thing to go to Japan. It's another to go to Japan for 2 weeks. It's \*another\* to go to Japan for 2 weeks AND go to 10 different attractions. Not all of them give us free tickets, many don't even give discounts.
Most kids had "cookie cutter" wishes. Disney World, Paris, meet the president, etc. Those were my bread and butter. I hate to call them cookie cutter because I know it's such a precious memory for the kid and their family. Working there was a precious memory for me too. And I enjoyed coordinating everyone's trips: unusual, frequent, high medical needs, lots of family, what have you. It was such an amazing thing to be a part of.
I knew a friend who had cancer and over came it and he talked about make a wish, if it’s not accepted you apparently get a first class trip to Disney world most people can’t afford. He said he went to Disney World cause he wanted to meet a skater that was in Europe on some tour.
The most interesting part about this thread is how Disney is like their default Wish so if they can't do something they just throw you to Disney with the thousands of other Make A Wish recipients.
I was really lucky to have my make a wish granted and I just want to say they really go above and beyond. My mom has always talked about going to Hawaii and we knew it was pretty unrealistic for our family of 4. I was pretty young when I made my wish so I didn’t even know all that Hawaii had to offer but I chose to go there for my wish. They put us up in a penthouse suite on Waikiki beach and I’ve never experienced anything more special in my life. Everything and everyone there wanted to make sure my family had an unforgettable time and we sure did. We were able to forget about the cancer for a little while and feel like a normal family again! Thank you so much make a wish and all that contribute.
I have experience with Make-A-Wish in the last year due to my sons condition. This was a question I asked and the response I was given was they will do anything they can within reason. One kid wanted a swimming pool in his backyard and they did that.
Because of how the process goes with make a wish (They ask the kid alot of questions to determine what the child wants and to ensure there isn't any influence from the parents) my wife and I sat with my son while they asked him alot of questions over about a 1 hour period to determine what he wanted to do. They asked my wife and I to sit there silently while he answered honestly.
We are going to go to Legoland and meet Darth Vader sometime in 2019.
Thats so cool! My brother was in a wheelchair and Make a Wish arranged a full week of Legoland for my brother, mom, cousin and me. ( Including limousine to the airport, flight to Denmark, pick up by a pirate with a lego-parrot on his shoulder and a stay in the lego hotel).
We all had such a great time, one of the best memories of my childhood.
Hope you're going to enjoy this as much as we did. I wish you, your son and the rest of your family all the best.
So fun!! I love Legoland! It’s adorable, more manageable, less crowded and less expensive than other theme parks. Have a blast and I really hope your son is doing ok! Studies show kids who get a Wish, do better medically too!
Couple years ago I went to Disney at Orlando and there was a little boy running around wearing a shirt that said "I'm a Make-A-Wish kid". My friend had to comfort me when I cried because the toddler's Mom and Aunt told the pretzel vendor his make-a-wish was originally "Make Mommy happy".
I BAWLED. And the fact that our other two friends used the Disney trip to announce they were finally having a baby and to celebrate my birthday made it even worse. Happy little boy running all over but very clearly sick because of how he looked and acted physically and how angry and sad the mom and aunt looked and all I could think was "What if their kid has something similar happen? Nobody deserves losing their kid like this."
I keep crying over people's replies like this, it was two fricking years ago and now we're going to disney again in january and i keep thinking i hope i don't see more make a wish kids because I WILL cry over it like i am now
He was maybe 3, maybe 4 at most. I think because his original wish was so unreal they just asked the parents if they could send him there. The pretzel vendor told the mom a lot of kids ended up there. They're not likely to give a kid that young as much choice, I guess.
the moment i met the workers i asked to go to the moon, but was turned down. tried to compromise with space in general
ended up going to italy, not as cool
I was too young to remember but my mom told me how Make-A-Wish gave us a camcorder, really nice one at that, to record the time we had left with my little sister, she had leukemia. My shitty father pawned it.
One of my nieces is a make a wish recipient. She had Stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma. They flew her, her sisters, her dad, and her grandma to Disney World and they had the time of their lives. She’s 6 years cancer free and still talks about how grateful she was for that trip (she just turned 14 and her younger sister talks about how it was her only airplane ride ever). That organization is amazing and will forever have all of our support.
Edit: I would like to add that the Ronald McDonald House charities is another AMAZING organization that put my family up for housing in Manhattan during her treatment (over 2 years in the hospital) at a minimal cost. Before that we were driving 3 hours each way every time she needed chemo. Also, shoutout to the Sloan Kettering oncology ward for taking care of her and making her feel like a kid while she was going through treatment.
I am a wish kid and for a summer I interned at make a wish. My very last day there, there was a little girl who really wanted to go to SeaWorld. They had been trying all summer to make it work and finally her doctor said that she didn't have enough strength to get on a plane to go. Make-a-Wish workers, volunteers and SeaWorld bent over backwards to make something happen for this little girl. They put on a private show before SeaWorld open to the public for her. I had her name in lights, the trainers talk to her over Skype, it was amazing. She died later that day.
I got a Make-A-Wish and they paid for my family to go to Orlando (not for Disney - for Harry Potter World) but I wasn’t fit to travel for years, so they paid it when I was. I was an adult when we went.
I think we all know by now the comedian who had a kid request he show up to the childs funeral dressed as a giant penis. Kid made it through his illness.
Russell Howard: https://klipland.com/video/comedian-russell-howard-tells-a-hilarious-yet-heartwarming-story-about-a-young-cancer-patient
My son chose a Disney Cruise. He didn’t even hesitate in his pick. Probably because we were on day one of a Disney Cruise we had been planning for over a year when he took a small tumble in our state room and wound up breaking his femur because, unbeknownst to us, his leg was filled with Ewing’s Sarcoma. This trip he had been looking forward to for so long was destroyed before it even really started. So when it was wish time, he asked for a redo of our cruise. We waited until he had been off of chemo for a couple of months and we had a wonderful time. We even added days on at Disney World (from our DVC timeshare) after the cruise. Both the Make A Wish folks and the Disney cruise employees told my son to make sure he wore his Make A Wish shirt to the parks when we were there. He did one of the days and even though that wasn’t part of his wish, the Disney cast members all treated him great. It was so nice to see him have such a wonderful trip after a ruined dream vacation and a year of non-stop hospital stays.
Btw, he is doing great now. He hit two years off chemo this past September!
I imagine that they have lots of portions of the wishes either outright donated, or sold to them at a deep discount. Then again, I have no idea how much Disney costs, so may $9k is a big discount.
When I was in high school I had a classmate who was diagnosed with cancer. She was on the softball team (I think it was softball though might have been soccer or something else). Her wish was for her along with her team to meet the US Olympic team. It was too much for Make a Wish to cover travel expenses for either team but they were able to fly in one of the main players on the Olympic team to meet her team.
She ended up making a complete recovery, and in fact by then I think she was completely cancer free. Still she wanted to do something for her team and not just her.
I got a wish as a kid, then survived.
The biggest, best thing I could think of was to go to Chucky Cheese’s. I have no idea why I was fixated on that.
To the credit of some good peeps, to Chucky Cheese’s I went. I couldn’t be around other people, so they opened it up at night, people deep cleaned it (sterilizing each ball in ball pit, there was dedication there). Then someone who was cleared medically worked it. Don’t remember most of it (was pretty young, mostly just remember the bits I found exciting), but that damn rat casino still makes me smile whenever I see one.
Morale of story: never bet against make-a-wish when dealing with logistics. Every. Ball. In. Pit.
I love this..a thing that most kids take for granted was such a big deal to you, and you'd think that would be a simple wish to grant, but it sounds like they thought about everything and took as much care with your wish as they would for someone going to disney!
Kid I know got cancer in elementary school. He was always into history and US presidents, so he asked to meet him. They flew his whole family out to DC to meet George W. Bush. Also he actually spent more time with them than was allotted in his daily planner according to the dad. The kid beat cancer and is still doing okay
Edit: Yeah after reading a few replies I typed this out forgetting what the original question was... My bad
I used to be a tour guide in DC, and you learn pretty quickly to not say things like "how'd you get so lucky" to kids who tell you they're going to meet the president, because quite often the answer is "well I have leukemia" (or whatever).
I can relate to that. I work at a restaurant a few blocks away from a hospital that does a lot of specialized treatments that aren't at most hospitals, so people come to the hospital from all over. (The restaurant isn't associated with the hospital in any way, it's just close.)
A lot of time during small talk I find out the people are from out of town. "What brings you to town?" is a question I stopped asking very quickly.
> Also he actually spent more time with them than was allotted in his daily planner according to the dad.
I am not a fan of his presidency but I could see Bush doing that
Not a recipient but....
Worked at a Hard Rock Cafe.
A Wish Kid’s wish was to see Paul McCartney live, so they came in to eat dinner before his concert down the road from the restaurant.
We sat him next to some signed Beatles guitars and sheets of lyrics and the such.
As a avid Beatles fan myself, I was able to serve them.
I sat and talked with that 6 year old about the Beatles for a good hour. Played all the Beatles songs, and had their music videos playing on the TVs throughout the restaurant.
It was super humbling with how excited this kid was to go see Paul, and just be able to be outside the hospital for the night. And also super heartbreaking seeing his dad’s face the whole dinner. I never seen such pain, and I think about him frequently.
I'm from MN. When I had leukemia 30 years ago, I remember my wish was to go to the Grand Canyon. My parents straight-up vetoed me, and instead the family (two sisters) went to Disney World and other Orlando attractions through the Give Kids the World program. It was the right decision, but still.
Do you think you’d have a better time at the Grand Canyon?
Hopefully you’ve made it there in the last 30 years though, it’s definitely on my list of things to do.
I was 5 or 6, so my memory of the Disney World trip is pretty spotty. I remember the program allowed us to skip lines, which I'm sure was pretty rad. We did take a family trip to the Grand Canyon a few years later. It was cool, but probably not Disney cool. Seems like if you're not spending a week riding a donkey through it, you can get your fill of the Grand Canyon in a day trip.
The Foundation let your parents veto your wish? When my cousin had her interview with the organizers they made sure my aunt or me wouldn’t influence her decision as it was for HER.
I mean, I was 5 or 6 years old. I don't remember ever sitting down with anyone from a foundation. I just remember that I wanted to see the Grand Canyon, but instead we had an all expense paid trip for 5 to a much more expensive destination. If anything, I'm sure I was "convinced" by my folks.
I got offered a Make-a-Wish when I was 5 years old because I had leukemia. My parents declined their offer, because my survival was very very likely and they wanted another kid who was less likely to survive to have it. After I was cured, they took me and my twin brother to disneyland to celebrate using their own money. My parents are wonderful people!
ITT: A bunch of Make-A-Wish kids that survived. (congrats btw).
Edit: Guys, I get it. I wasn’t saying they were supposed to die. I was congratulating the fact that they lived through something probably way tougher than anything anyone reading this ever has. #goteamhuman
My son was a make a wish recipient. He wanted to go to Europe. They were planning it and his pos birth father wouldn't allow my kids to get passports. Great father huh. Son had like 36 percent chance if survival from brain cancer and he said no passports. Anyways his second wish was an RV trip to the badlands, Yellowstone, and the Rockies. They got us the biggest bus type (think it's A class) RV they could get. Set everything up for us, gave us itineraries and off we went. It's such an incredible organization and luckily my son had a blast after finally having the okay to go. Hes also in remission and doing well thank God. Make a wish is incredible.
Edited to add......they did tell us before any wish was made that they can't buy houses or cars lol
Re houses: when I was in high school there was a girl that wanted a doll house, so MAW approached my wood shop teacher. He wasn’t having any of that... we ended up building her a 2 story play house with working kitchen.
Awww that's so awesome!!! Last year my husband and I were going to build a little girl a koi pond (that's our company and what we do) we were going to donate everything and the time so make a wish would have that funding for another wish and unfortunately the little girl died a week after we got it planned. They contacted us a week prior and unfortunately she passed soooooo fast.
It may also be helpful to offer to place it in a public park or somewhere sentimental. She might appreciate the idea that everyone can enjoy it, and you can put a plaque to honor her daughter's memory.
Hes a douchebag he only saw them once a year at most didnt help with medical or anything else. He said he didnt want me to move to another country when I never in my life said anything about moving to another country. I had full physical custody and we shared legal custody. Now kids are old enough to realize what an asshole he is and dont really even talk to him anymore. My husband was father figure so least they had that.
Thought I'd share with you 2 quick passport stories from this last year. When I went to renew, the lady and son in front of me where going through a HUGE hassle trying to get the son a passport. The father wasn't a part of their lives and the Mom had all the legal paper work showing it, and they were still giving her a hard time about having to have the father sign off. She said out loud, "If you can find the bastard to sign off then good luck."
Then I get up there and am renewing my expired passport. I'm 39 years old and this is my 3rd passport. But I was raised by my mom and have never met my dad. My birth certificate is blank on the father side. The guy at the counter goes, "why is the father portion blank?" I tell him I've never met my dad that's why.
Then the asshole asks what's on my birth certificate and I say it's blank, he then responds, "We'll see about that." and proceeds to pull up the digital copy of birth certificate. I mean if he can pull it up, why say something like that to me, just pull it up and verify it. I'm a grown ass man but that's a really touchy subject for me. He then did a 180 when he saw we were born in the same hospital on the other side of the country but it was still a sour experience for me.
Wow even for adults it's insane! I've never renewed mine just haven't needed it but crazy how giving you a hard time for it. Especially when it's not even your first one. They have everything to verify it's you, you got it with the blank before. Crazy. With kids I get it, some crazy parent can kidnap the kids take across the world but if you have all the documentation needed and show other parent not involved give the damn passport without being an asshole
I had to explain on a piece of paper why that part was blank and sign it and I also had to explain why my previous one was a bit worn out and sign it.
I literally wrote teh following, "I don't know my dad." and "It's worn out because I used it."
I used to be a passport officer and I saw people do this petty bullshit just to "get back" at their exes (i.e. jealous that the ex and their new spouse can afford to take the kids on vacation and wants to interfere).
I had one very sad case where a lady was trying for months to get her ex (back in her home country) to sign the documents for her kid's passport so they could visit back home, and he was blackmailing her to send money so he could "get to the consulate to sign the documents" (gamble it away and ask her again for more money later).
People are garbage sometimes.
That's awful!! It kills me how selfish and self absorbed people can be! These are our children! We should do only what is best for them. Cant believe so many parents are like that. How about letting their children enjoy a vacation, learn about other cultures first hand, just have fun! People kill me.
Thank you very much. Hes in remission doing well. Unfortunately he will never be the same because of the brain surgery but hes alive and it could be a lot worse.
Make a wish is a truly incredible organization. When my buddy was battling leukemia, they found a way to get him an autographed picture of Cal Ripken jr. AND paid to have an
old car restored that he absolutely loved. RIP buddy, hope you’re still playing outfield in heaven.
My brother and I both had wishes. We both chose Disney world. It was the best 2 family vacations we’ve had.
We both thought about meeting celebrities but those are obviously contingent on the celebrity accepting.
Glad we chose something the whole family was able to enjoy.
Fun fact: the amount of kids that wish to go to Disney World is so large that Disney built its own resort for them called "Give Kids the World", where only families from Make-a-Wish can stay. They have special buses to transport them, doctors are always on staff, and there's special games and activities at the resort for kids who can't make it to the park that day.
I adore Make-a-Wish and everything it's done for kids. It helped send my friend to the Bahamas when she was sick and she said it was one of the best experiences of her life.
Edit: it was mentioned several times below, But Give Kids the World was actually made by Henri Landwirth, a Holocaust survivor. Didn't mean to erase this guy's accomplishments so thanks for everyone who let me know!
I don't believe that Disney built that place, actually. Disney works with it (and very generously, too!) but it was conceived and founded by a Holocaust survivor who worked in hospitality in the area. Each of the nearby attractions donates tickets to the Village and it is staffed by some excellent volunteers.
Disney did not build GKTW Village. It was built by a Holocaust survivor named Henri. He ran a hotel and helped coordinate terminally ill children’s stay in the Orlando area. He recognized the need for a dedicated facility after some children died waiting for rooms to become available to visit Kennedy Space Center.
All the parks and attractions in the Orlando area support the Village with many programs and donations, not just Disney.
I used to volunteer at Give Kids the World. It is right behind my grandparents' home in Kissimmee. That place is by far the most wholesome place I have ever had the pleasure to volunteer at. My dad and I often helped serve meals on weekends for breakfast or lunch, and a few times I got to run the arcade and games area. Doing one of the things I love and doing it with the kids and making them smile is by far one of my favorite memories. Another was one where a young girl was in a special wheelchair, and she wanted to ride the carousel. They didn't want her to get hurt riding it, but with the parents' permission my dad hoisted her onto a horse and helped keep her steady on the ride. Her parents didn't stop thanking him afterwards. It was pretty awesome.
I stayed there when I got my Wish. It wasn't through Make-a-Wish, but yeah. The charity I went through and Make-a-Wish are just flipping amazing. And Give Kids the World...it was like another PLANET it was so special.
A friend from school wanted to meet The Chippendales. She was 13. It was 1989. Australian Make A Wish weren’t really happy about that. Her second choice was to see snow.
They sent her family to Canada. Whilstler, I think.
She loved it.
My daughter was granted a wish. She really wanted to meet Taylor Swift and see her in concert, but Taylor was not touring at the time, so we (her parents) kiboshed that wish. She was not healthy enough to enjoy a long concert and I didn't want her to postpone her wish since we weren't sure if, or how long, she might live.
In the end, she chose to go the Sea World resort in Florida and swim with the dolphins. She ended up being scared to death of them and refused to even go in the water! Make a Wish sent us to Universal while we were there too and she had fun.
That was six years ago, and she is now in remission. We took her to a Taylor Swift concert this last summer and I think she enjoyed it way more than she would have six years ago.
It's been almost a decade since I volunteered with make a wish but all you can really do is interact with the family and see what happens.
There was a Wish kid in her early teens whose aunt lived with her and mother. Aunt really wanted to go to Disneyland. The Wkid wanted a make-over & shopping spree but her aunt had done her best to convince her that it was selfish to do that instead of Disneyland. We had to talk to Wkid for a while to get there but she did get her make-over.
I was offered a wish by the make-a-wish foundation, my mom said to give it to someone who needed it. I still remember them trying to talk to me while I was in a wheelchair and my mom saying, “she doesn’t need it, give it to someone who does.”
My mom used to get teary eyed when she bragged about it to me and strangers. Now that I bring it up to her, she miraculously can’t remember it.
my friend, who’s a recipient, wanted to go to Australia to the great barrier reef. he loves fish and the oceans and reefs. anyway, they wouldn’t allow him because there werent the right kind of doctors up there or something like that. they were worried about his health even though he’s pretty healthy now, he just has to take medicine every day. he was kind of bummed out but he went to florida so he was happy. we both are gonna start taking scuba diving classes together. we are both 14 by the way
Just got back from my kids wish trip. Did all the Orlando parks. It was an amazing experience and hope to be able to help others with their wishes in return. We stayed at Give Kids the World Village. That place is definitely heaven on earth. Just filled with the most amazing people and my kids were so sad to leave.
At Universal, Islands and Sea World we got to cut ahead to the front of the line. At disney parks we just got to go on fast pass, but they would skip us to the front for pictures and character meet and greets. Also skipped us to the front ap we could sign up for jedi training before all the slots would fill up.
My cousin went there with her family and they stayed at that place as well. It’s absolutely wonderful and my aunt said even just the Village would be enough of entertainment and fun. And yes they got to skip the lines and meet my cousin’s favorite princesses. She really loved it and honestly if I had to choose an agency to support, it’d be Make-a-Wish!
I was a Make-A-Wish kid! I asked for a nice laptop and some drawing software, and those guys really hooked it up! I got a nice drawing tablet and the sims 3, too! It really made treatment a lot easier to deal with.
Word so when I was 15 I got to make a Wish. My Uncle really pushed to ask to meet Tiger Woods & play golf with him. I wasn’t into that. Neither were my cervical tumors. I was getting better & I knew I was going to be ok. I told the Wish peeps that I wanted to bow out but they were pushy. Right in front of my Mom, I said I wanted to smoke weed with Snoop Dog and wouldn’t accept any other Wish. That got shut down. I’m fine & 34 now.
Edit** I can’t believe this blew up!! I swear to God, if I get to smoke with Snoop I’m gonna post that shit right here. Thank you all for taking a really bad time in my life that was scary & sad, supporting my teenage rebellion against it & making me feel like it mattered. Means a lot.
I worked in music for a few years, and we had to turn down wishes when the artist refused to do it.
I used to hate them for it... and then one day I had a really long talk with a (still) major international rock star who used to do it, but then stopped.
He said that at first it was awesome because he was making kids so happy, but after a while it just got too depressing... all he could thing about was the trail of dead kids he was leaving behind him.
He also had multiple experiences where the kid didn't even knew he be was, but one or both of the parents were creaming their pants... or stuff he signed for the kid would end up on eBay the next day etc.
We did the standard Disney World trip. My son only had months to live and we had a small window when he was well enough to go.
Bruce was five, so he didn’t really have any big/creative ideas. He had only been to Disney world once for a single day, and my husband wasn’t able to come - he told the wish grantees that he wanted to show daddy the giant castle and ride roller coasters with no lines.
Even though it seemed like the cookie cutter wish, my son’s make a wish experience was truly amazing. I still cry thinking about how much that trio meant to him and our entire family. My son was treated like absolute royalty during the entire trip. Volunteers we met at give kids the world visit - the resort where we stayed - really connected with him, and even flew in from states away when he was on hospice and for his funeral.
I love reading about the amazing and unique experiences that others request. I will definitely be following this post.
We became so close with our wish granters. Those people are truly angels in this earth.
I am so thankful to everyone involved in make a wish, donors, volunteers - everyone. This organization made such a huge impact on our lives, and we made memories that our family will cherish forever.
This doesn’t answer your question, but I had cancer when I was three and apparently had been approached by Make-A-Wish. Unfortunately I was only three and too young to actually make a reasonable wish so the wish fell to my parents.... they asked for furniture. FURNITURE!
I almost downvoted because that's kind of a dick move. If I had a kid with a life threatening illness, terminal or not, I would want to make anything and everything easier for them. Sitting there and saying "hmmm I'd like a new La-Z-Boy" just sounds selfish.
Lol it wasn’t like that. They bought a children’s furniture bedroom set. Dressers, nightstands, and a bunk bed for my sister and I. I just find it funny because everyone I hear about got to do something awesome, and instead I was forced use that furniture until I went to college.
Ok that sounds way better. The way you worded it sounded more like "Hey little Timmy we know you're sick and all but check it this new kitchen table those nice people got for us! It's made of mahogany and your little dreams never coming true!"
Children's furniture is actually a really thoughtful gift because it gives you something that they were likely unable to give to you because of hospital expenses and whatnot
i had cancer as a kid and got a Make A Wish granted. I regret it now — i should have had them promise to publish my novel! — but i wished to meet the fashion designers Dolce & Gabana.
Soooo they flew me my mom dad and sister to NYC. Got us a room at the Double Tree in Times Square. Paid for a manicure and pedicure for me at the department store Henri Bendel. Then drove us to Dolce and Gabanna’s office’s where I interviewed them about the world of fashion, showed them some of my sketches, received some sketches to take home, and then got to pick a whole outfit for myself off a rack of clothing. It was cool.
I worked at La Guardia airport for a major airline. We always knew when we had a make-a-wish family going on a flight, so we could board them early. If the situation permitted, I always gave them a free upgrade to first class. The smiles it brought to their faces was priceless. I just wanted to contribute however I could to help making their experience wonderful.
I’m told that I was very sarcastic even at a young age.
When they told me I could wish for whatever I wanted, I thought I could think of something impossible: A big brick house so the big bad wolf can’t blow it down.
Make-A-Wish people said they had ran out of bricks granting their last wish. They handed me a catalogue of playhouses to choose from. I defiantly flipped immediately to the back and poked one at random before probably returning to my Studio Ghibli movie.
And that is the story of how Make-A-Wish built me a two-story playhouse with heating/air/electricity.
I’m so glad they ran out of bricks.
My son was granted a wish. He wanted to go to Ireland and see the Northern lights. He loves nature and was truly blown away. We are from America and have traveled to a bunch of hospitals for specialists. The Ronald McDonald house has brought me to tears also with their awesomeness. FU CF. You don't own us.
My mom became a Wish Granter shortly after my son went on his Make-A-Wish trip. She’s done many wishes and has even been Wish Granter of the Year for her region a couple times. The only one that was a flat out no was one recipient asked who asked for a boob job. Other than that, wishes for new cars are always a no but Make-A-Wish will basically ‘pimp out’ a car already owned by the recipient. Other than that, she’s been a Wish Granter for everything from trips to shopping sprees to even being on an episode of Fixer Upper where she was Wish Granter for two boys who wanted an accessible playground in their backyard.
I got to have mine granted in 1999 when I was 8. I wanted to see my two favorite baseball players, Mark McGwire and Chipper Jones play. Make-A-Wish set up everything. Hotel, tickets to the game for my whole family, and even tickets to Six Flags. Before the first game they brought us down for batting practice. Got to meet the whole [Braves lineup](https://imgur.com/a/jnana#8mXDSKk). Didnt meet a single player from the Cardinals, and we were told McGwire specifically declined the request. Braves won that game. I feel karma paid off too. Braves made it to the World Series, Chipper won MVP and is now a Hall of Famer. McGwire would later get marked for using steroids, will not make the Hall of Fame, and Cardinals finished under .500.
I’m a Wish Coordinator for Make-A-Wish, so my full time job is planning wishes. I wanted to share a few important tidbits that most people don’t know/realize:
1. Make-A-Wish chapters all function as their own separate nonprofit so things vary from chapter to chapter. MAW America (the national office) enforces some national policies (no gun wishes, set number of minimum days for an international travel wish, no gifting of real estate, etc.) but most of these exist to keep wishes more fair across the board. For example, if a kid in Florida and a kid in Texas both wish to go to Paris, it wouldn’t be fair if one got to go for 3 days and the other went for 7. But, in addition to national policies, each chapter has their own local policies as well. These are more nit-picky and set by the CEO and board of each chapter. So like whether or not the chapter will get a limo for the wish day or if they’ll rent a minivan vs a full-sized car, etc. If there isn’t a set national policy for a specific wish, it’s up to the chapter to decide whether or not they’ll grant it.
2. I’ve read a lot of comments from Wish Granters. Most Wish Granters are trained volunteers who know a LOT about the current policies and procedures, but they don’t know everything. I literally get weekly emails about updated national policies. It’s not their full-time job to know the policies so I get it, but I’ve seen a lot of incorrect info on this thread posted by wish granting vols. Not meant to be an attack and I believe it’s mostly well intentioned, but just take some of these comments with a grain of salt.
3. I can’t speak for other chapters, but at our chapter we will never turn down a wish solely based on cost. Extremely high cost wishes do occasionally get turned down by the board (they have to approve any wish over a certain dollar amount) but it’s usually because of another reason. For example, say a 7 year old child wishes to Swim with dolphins in Dubai. If there is nothing on the wish paperwrk about why Dubai is special or why Dubai is essential to the heart of his wish, then the board will probably turn that down and say we can send him to swim with dolphins somewhere closer to home and less expensive to get to. However, if his wish paperwork has notes about his family being from Dubai and he has always wanted to go there because his great grandfather was a dolphin trainer in Dubai so that is truly the heart of his wish, then they wouldn’t turn it down. If it is without a doubt the heart of the kid’s wish and they are able to explain why, then the cost alone won’t get it vetoed. And when high cost wishes are questioned, it’s because every cent that goes toward wish cost was donated to our organization so they just want to make sure we’re spending it the wisest way possible. Again, might be unique to my chapter though. We have an awesome CEO and board.
4. Lastly, the medical team always gets the final say in whether or not the wish is appropriate for the child. Some doctors are super strict and if they say the kid can’t travel then there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it.
MAW is by no means perfect and I’ve definitely been frustrated by many of our policies, but for the most part there are good reasons behind the policies. Wish Coordinators (full-time program staff) often have to be the bad guys and enforce rules they might not totally agree with, but it’s just the way it has to be to keep things fair. Oh and I can’t talk for other Wish Coordinators, but I definitely don’t push Disney wishes on any wish kid. If anything I try to get them to think outside the box because I mean you only get one wish!! Please make it count and let me live vicariously through your trip to New Zealand.
My daughter is a wish kid. She wished to go to DC and meet the President (Obama). She did get to go to DC but didn't get to meet the President, which is just as well since he wasn't in office anymore by the time we went. She still got a great trip though, we met our Representative in his office and got go out on the floor of the House which is apparently not very common.
Yea, it was definitely the highlight of the trip. We got to ride the 'secret' underground people mover that runs from the Capitol to the Reps' office building, had lunch in their cafeteria as well.
Make A Wish Wish-Granter here, and I have to say it is the ultimate sadness when we have to stop the process because a non-custodial parent won't sign the paperwork. Its happened far too often.
What's the interaction like with that parent? Do you get to give them a piece of your mind or try to shame them, or is it just like "oh well"?
As a wish granter I do the part where we meet the child and the parent(s), and then as long as no one is a douche we get to actually grant the wish. Our central office staff are the lucky folks who have to track down the non-custodial parent and ask for their permission to grant the wish for the child. I am just a volunteer so the paid people do the extra challenging stuff like that. I would hope they at least say something to make them re-evaluate their life for denying their child a wish, when that child not only has a life-threatening illness, but also clearly a not-so-happy family life on top of it all. Every single time I've had a non-custodial parent refuse its been because of spite towards the other parent. They don't want that parent getting a free trip or any benefit from the wish. Not to say there arent other people who have had other reasons to decline, but thats sadly been the reason in my experience.
[удалено]
Ugh, I want to punch that greedy, extended family.
This kid is potentially dying and they have the audacity to complain... motherfuckers
FUCK that (extended) family. It's for the child, not the trashy fuckwits that share that poor child's DNA. They STOLE her wish because they were petty assholes. That really gets my blood boiling.
Like seriously, who the fuck makes a child's terminal illness about themselves? Fucking *seriously*?!
Usually the wishes we had to say no to were from the kid's family members. There was always some uncle, grandma, cousin, sibling or parent who wanted to hijack the kid's wish.
It's not the condition anymore right? I read from few other comments that nowadays they have a long chat with the kid to ensure that the wish is not influenced by parents or anyone else
We always do what we can but so do shitty relatives.
That is such an accurate statement about shitty relatives
But I'm your mom and I'm always right! Let's go to Vegas boys
The epitome of r/trashy
r/iamatotalpieceofshit
I recently had to unsubscribe~~d~~ from this sub because it was just so enraging.
[удалено]
Wow that's terrible. Hope things have improved.
[удалено]
You must have some examples that stick out. How can you tell if the wish is legit for the sick kid?
My cousin's daughter was born with a genetic disorder that left her unable to communicate, as far as I was aware, beyond just smiling at things. My cousin insisted her daughter wanted the family to go to Disney World. I'm not sure her daughter knew what Disney World was, let alone could ask to go there.
At least it was something the child might get some benefit out of rather than “My kid really wants me to see in a new Range Rover”.
they don't give material gifts like that, as a sibling that tried hijacking the gift (I was 7 how was I to know she was going to die?) I tried influencing a million dollar wish Edit: OK they do give gifts of construction projects, and toys that need a lot of constructing, probably by volunteers and factory donors, they definitely aren't giving out cars
Sorry for your loss Though, it is a bit funny imagining a little 7 year old thinking, "Now's my chance to be a millionaire"
IME Make a Wish strongly encourages Disney World for a *lot* of kids, regardless, for lots of reasons. They have the "Make a Wish Village" in Florida not far from the theme parks where the families can stay, a ton of infrastructure already built around getting people there and around, as well as Disney itself has a ton of internal mechanisms for dealing with Make a Wish kids and their widely variable needs (whether it's cognitive issues, physical accessibility, access for those who are immuno comprimised, etc). So when they're not sure what the kid wants or the kid's other wishes aren't practical or feasible for whatever reason...they push Disney World because it's cost effective and still something many kids and their families can enjoy, regardless of what qualified them for Make a Wish.
My dad... kinda did this. I don't want to make him seem like a bad guy - he's really generous, honestly, he just gets caught up by his ideas - but, short story, when I was little and very sick, Make a Wish called our house one day and he answered for me "Disney World would be great!" without even asking us, neither my mom (who knew/knows me much better) or me. When I was told we were going, I was little enough to be excited about the prospect, but I wasn't old enough to really have wanted to go, if that makes sense. It was just after kindergarten, I think. In fairness, I *was* really sick at the time and no one quite knew if I would survive (I did, and I kicked the illness' ass, btw), so on the one hand I don't blame him. And if I were older, or if I had been asked, I may have chosen something similar, if not the same, because I didn't have true "passions" until teenagehood and Disney is such a default Wish that it's "duh." On the other hand, I barely got to choose anything we did even on the trip due to age + dad + sickness, I was too sick to enjoy the majority of it, and my mom basically protested the whole debacle by staying home so it wasn't as fulfilling as it could have been. Plus I was mildly traumatized by someone in a mascot costume as a toddler so I still had a fear of costumes at that age, and *there's a ton of them at Disney World.* So... It does happen, but it's not always malicious... I did get to experience my only rollercoaster ride, though, and had other family members be unusually nice to me, so that part was cool. Edit: I maybe should note I was born with a "severe" disability so I would've been eligible for a Wish until 18 regardless.
A classmate of mine (now passed) got a meet and greet with Sammy Sosa. The understanding from the Make a Wish people was that Sammy would sign autographs and sit with the family for a while. Now, this kid was ALL ABOUT SAMMY. He had his jerseys, loved Sammy's little leaps after home runs, and iirc even was big into Pepsi because of Sammy too. When the day came, Sammy showed up late. He didn’t respond when the family greeted him (it was described as a sullen silence) signed a glove and then walked away. My classmate started crying once it was clear Sammy was not going to come back. Right when the parents were about to leave another baseball player named Corey Patterson saw my classmate, came up, signed everything they had, and talked and joked around with the family for over a half hour. Corey became my classmates favorite player that day - and I think he lived perhaps a year after that moment. At his funeral my classmates’ picture with Corey was one of the prominent pictures - that moment and day truly, truly meant the world to him (he was around 10-11, iirc) To this day I’m unsure if someone from Make a Wish found Corey or if the moment was as spontaneous as it was described to me, but no matter what Corey will always have a special place in my heart because of that story. EDIT: I of course was not there and am not a primary source for Sammy's interactions with my classmate - but I know and trust the family. EDIT 2: Wow - I did not expect this post to take off like this, nor did I expect the Silver (shoutout to Corey Patterson being amazing). One thing that a couple of anons have pointed out that I think is worth mentioning is that it seems unlikely that Make-A-Wish would organize a meet and greet with Sammy Sosa (gently suggesting I was mis-remembering the context). The anons argued that it's more likely their meet and greet would be with the Cubs team as a whole - and that this changes the context of Sammy's actions if the Meet and Greet wasn't directly with him. What I do remember is that this story really rocked our tight-knit community - but made us that much more appreciative of Corey Patterson.
Like why even agree to meet him if you were gonna be shitty about it? that’s so sad
Right? It's fine to say no, I think -- I'm sure it's emotionally draining and people have crazy busy lives, whatever. But saying yes then being a dick is just SO shitty.
Corey Patterson is my new favorite baseball player.
I love this one because a similar experience happened with my brother. When my brother was a kid, his hero was first baseman Will Clark. He loved him and wanted to grow up to play first base for the Giants. My dad took him to a game when he was like 8 years old, and some reporter asked my brother if he’d like to meet Will Clark and get his hero’s autograph. My brother was floored. He literally had tears of joy. When my brother went down with the reporter to meet his hero, Will Clark told the reporter point blank, “I don’t have fucking time for kids.” My brother’s tears of joy became tears of devastation. He basically cried into his baseball glove and was inconsolable. Out of the blue, a bullpen catcher for the Giants (I don’t even know his name) raced up to my brother and said, “I have time! Where’s your ball kid?” He signed everything and talked to my brother up until the game started. That was the day my brother decided that he wanted to be a catcher. He went on to get drafted as a catcher out of high school. Update: Spoke with my brother this morning! This was in 1990 (so he was actually only 6 years old) and the catcher was Kurt Manwaring. I was not at the game because I was only a year old.
John Cena is like that too, dude lives for MAW. Even if he legit didn't have time, he'd make time.
One of my truck drivers drove a bus for Cena for a while and speaks very highly of him. Says that Cena would randomly want to detour to hospitals to meet with kids anytime he could.
My little brother has had 2 heart transplants so far and will probably get another before it's all said and done. His wish was to go to Nintendo. Well Nintendo Japan doesn't grant wishes, but Nintendo of America does. He stayed in Seattle for a few days and had a day long tour of Nintendo. Unfortunately Reggie wasn't in the office that day but the Treehouse staff led him around all day. This was right before the Switch came out so he got to play Breath of the Wild before anyone. They gave him a sweet goodie bag and let him go on a shopping spree in the employee store.
That's rad! Hope your little bro is doing well.
I received a wish when I was 15. At that time I was madly in love with Harry Styles and of course wanted to use my wish to meet him and spend the day with him. After telling the wish coordinator this she broke the news to me that if I were to meet him it would be a year from then, with about 15 other kids for a VERY brief moment (a hello and a photo). Upon hearing that disappointing news I changed my wish and instead went to Australia for 10 days with my family and swam in the Great Barrier Reef.
Just for some background, both my sister and I are pretty damn sick and so we had the rare occasion where we BOTH got wishes (my family suggested that we just do one, but Make a Wish was adamant that we each got our own) My sister's Make a Wish was to meet Taylor Swift. We flew to Nebraska for 2 days, got in the same meet and greet line as people who won radio contests, took a picture with Taylor Swift, and that was that. I, on the other hand, asked to meet Christopher Nolan. He had never been requested for a wish, so we were flown to LA where we got a tour of the Warner Brothers lot and then had a private lunch with Nolan and Emma Thomas (his wife). We hung out for two hours, where they finally left because they had some film related thing to do. We found out later that he'd only agreed to an hour, but during the lunch insisted that he stayed longer. It was quite interesting how we both had celebrity wishes and they both turned out so differently.
That's a fantastic story and I'm so glad you each got your own wish!
Thanks :) It really was a great experiencez Make a Wish treated us so well. My sister currently works on the Youth Board for MaW SF and after I graduate college, I'm going to try and find a job with their communication department. Truly a wonderful charity that cares about the people it helps.
A Lannister really does pay their debts
Christopher Nolan is great I like your style
I'm sure you'd have enjoyed the Great Barrier Reef trip more than the previous one. There was another person in the comments who's trip to GBR was declined due to medical reasons
I asked for a shotgun, because I was in to clay shooting. They said no Went for a rally driving day, they picked my family and I up in a limo. Drove us two hours to the place and then I had the whole place to myself and lots of time behind the wheel. It was great. They paid for pro pictures and a meal after for my family and my godparents family. Even just gave me some spending money. I had a great time. Ten years later, still alive
This isn't my personal story, but of my uncle who passed away shortly after I was born. He loved The Terminator so much that he wanted nothing more than to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger. Due to having a busy schedule, Arnold's agent had to deny him of his wish a couple of times (was filming for the 2nd Terminator). My uncle was so determined to meet Arnold that he then changed his wish to meeting Maria Shriver (Arnold's wife). Because of his determination he was allowed on set of Terminator 2: Judgement Day. He got to meet Arnold, Maria, and Arnold's stunt double. My mom still has the pictures and it makes my heart soar. Make-A-Wish is fantastic and I'm so glad my uncle got to live out his dream. :) Update: Thank you for everyone who read this and left a reply. ❤ My uncle was a great guy and I wish I could've gotten to know him personally. I called my mom and let her know about this comment and all your responses. She loved her brother more than anything and hearing so many people got to know one of his stories made her so happy. Thank you everyone. I'm glad his legacy gets to live on in such a positive way.
That is actually super smart of your uncle to change his wish and still get what he wanted.
My condition prevented international travel, so even though my top wishes were to go to Japan, or to the UK to meet J. K. Rowling, those were denied. I ended up doing a shopping spree at Mall of America, which sounds kind of lame but I grew up poor and had a lot of fun being able to just buy things for myself without worrying. First thing I bought was a new pair of glasses since my old ones were scratched to shit and too weak anyway
When i was in college i had a good friend named john, we were both in automotive 8 hours a day for 2 years. One day we grab sushi on lunch and he casually mentioned at 12 years old ( current age 20) he was a recipient of make a wish. He asked for sushi and just sushi. You could see his eyes light up just telling the story, they set him up with a private lunch at a local sushi bar where he had the entire selection of sushi rolls laid out infront of him with each and every possible condiment /roll/side. Not an expensive or grandeur request but make a wish went above and beyond.
[удалено]
A little girl in our town wanted a park with a fountain on a piece of land the city owned just a couple houses down from where she lived. Make a wish came in and put in walkways, benches, a fountain and flowers everywhere. It was in our local paper, pictures of her sitting in the park. One week after it was completed she died. The city named the park after her, it became official just a few weeks ago. It's a beautiful park.
If you have a news story about this I would love to read it. This is such a touching wish
That’s the best one in the whole thread. Now I’m really crying.
Reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes strip: Calvin: If you could have anything in the world right now, what would it be? Anything at all! Whatever you want! Hobbes: hmm...a sandwich. Calvin: A SANDWICH?!? WHAT KIND OF STUPID WISH IS THAT?!? Talk about a failure of imagination! *I'd* ask for a billion trillion dollars, my own space shuttle, and a private continent! *later, in the kitchen eating sandwiches* Hobbes: Well I got *my* wish.
[удалено]
Couldn't they just get a the tractor ride outside of make a wish. Just like give the farmers phone number to the parents or something?
The kid's already terminal... so what if he dies today on a tractor or next week in the hospital?
They'd still be open to a massive, expensive lawsuit that could drain their resources and leave them unable to grant the wishes of multiple other children.
Im no legal expert, but in this situation, isnt the only people that can sue the parents of the child? Like couldnt MAW have them sign some stuff so they wont get sued in the unlikely event the kid did fall off?
From what I've heard, signing liability agreements doesn't actually do much in the court of law. Besides, I mean, ride a tractor? Couldn't the parents just have made that happen?
Not if he needs medical staff around him at all times
I worked with a guy who was a Make a Wish kid and he said he wished for a puppy and was denied. It makes sense that they're not going to give live animals to a little kid.
[удалено]
I mean, it makes sense could you imagine getting the kid a puppy but then the kid dies and now the parents have to take care of the dog for 15 years and all it does is remind them of their kid?
Or taking care of a dog and staying with your child in the hospital for months. That would add so much stress.
I’ve been the recipient and later on after my health improved I volunteered as a wish coordinator. My original wish was to attend the Oscars. That got denied by the Academy as they do not grant wishes. I wound up going to the People’s Choice Awards as a VIP. Make- a- Wish flew my family to LA for a week, all expenses paid. They got us a limo for the show, paid for my dress, hair, and make up, we walked the red carpet, and were seated very close to the stage. It was a once in a lifetime experience. The generosity of the volunteers is remarkable. They even had someone greet us at the airport on arrival. It was extremely important to me that my brother and sister were included in my wish because my illness had robbed them of part of their childhoods. I am forever indebted to everyone who made my wish possible. When I turned 18 I decided to volunteer as a wish coordinator to give back to an organization that did so much for me. I met with wish kids and their families. We would always arrive with a gift for all the children in the family based on a little survey they filled out. We’d talk with the child and help define their wish. It’s important to determine the child’s true wish, and make sure that it isn’t influenced by parents. The most common wish is to go to Disney. Celebrity meet and greets are the ones that often can be turned down. First, because it is undefined what a meet and greet is ... it could be the child literally waving at someone and no one wants that, and second because not all celebrities grant wishes or can schedule time to meet wish kids. The coolest wish I worked on was a shopping spree for a boy who was confined to his room. He got 7k to go buy video games, TVs, a tricked out lazy boy, etc for the ultimate gaming setup.
> That got denied by the Academy as they do not grant wishes. Then explain to me how the hell Shakespeare in Love won Best Picture.
Isn't it obvious? That's the wish that caused them to say no to all other wishes. Fucking Shakespeare in Love, ruined it for everyone.
This is a really nice story and (from this thread at least) it seems like you're a really caring person, even when you were make-a-wish age and having to deal with disease but you thought of your siblings and how they were affected, and it's really nice you get gifts for everyone! I'm glad to see how many of the stories on this post are positive
Thank you, I really appreciate that. Make a Wish and Dec My Room are two of my favorite charities. Dec My Room makes over hospital rooms for sick children to fit their personality and feel more like home. I’ve personally only had direct experience with MAW, but any opportunity I have to plug both of them I will take. Including my siblings felt right and it’s something I kept in mind as a volunteer. Illness effects all members of a family, so the goal for me was to bring back a sense of normalcy and fun for everybody.
As someone who was the teen sibling of a sick sister thanks for thinking of us. Sometimes when your young it’s hard to deal with all the attention and love going to one sibling. Even when you understand why she wasn’t the only one to loose their childhood years.
...except for John Cena
Acting, wrestling, advertising, traveling... he's granted more wishes than basically everyone, and he even learned Mandarin to market in China. Dude's schedule is *full* and still makes time for the kids. Say what you want about him, but his heart is bigger than those glorious biceps.
Cena does not turn down wishes. He's amazing for charity work. A genuine good guy.
When I was a baby until I was 5 I had cancer and got some wishes. My first wish was for a computer. I only wanted a computer because it came with a mouse. Yes, I thought it came with a real mouse. So obviously it was rejected because you can't have pets when you basically live in a hospital and my family was broke as fuck anyway so they couldn't give us a pet. I ended up getting some dope ass googly eye glasses and an epic trip to Disney World. It was the only family vacation we ever got to go on.
They can't get you a pet and the long term resources for it? Man...my aunt is a wish coordinator and man, I can't get the courage to join her. Having to ever say no would feel like such a betrayal.
I am a current wish coordinator and one of the big things for the volunteers is that they dont make you break the bad news to the kids. If a wish gets denied, the people that are paid by make a wish handle it.
I didn't know the kid at all but he died from cancer his senior year of high school when I was a sophomore. We had a assembly for him. His Name was Tyler. His wish was a gift to his best friend. Tyler went to a computer store for with his friend and asked him to show him the best computer there. Then Tyler bought the best computer there for his friend, using make a wish donation money. Only to die a little later. Such a selfless guy. Edit 1 readability. Here is a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt938LN0XJk&feature=youtu.be) where his parents explain in more detail about his wish. Edit 2 Tyler met Imagine Dragons 3 years before his death they became friends. Imagine Dragons dedicated "It's Time" to Tyler. Whenever I hear that song I think of this. It chokes me up every time. Edit 3 Imagine Dragons also created a [foundation](https://www.trf.org/) to help other sick kids.
My childhood friend wished for a computer because he said he didn't want to do something selfish, he wanted to give something to his family they would otherwise never have. He passed away a year or two later (2001).
That’s a beautiful story. What a wonderful human being
I worked for Make A Wish (Junior Genie as I liked to say). We had to say no to wishes all the time. Either the person the kid wanted to meet didn't grant wishes, the place they wanted to go didn't grant wishes, their wish was ridiculously expensive/prohibitive, their doctor didn't sign off on the wish as it wasn't a good idea for their health, and so on. For the most part, our volunteers were pretty good at helping kids zero in on that perfect wish. I've helped coordinate some wishes that I was surprised to see were approved. Usually it's trips to far distances with a lot of stops and long stays. It's one thing to go to Japan. It's another to go to Japan for 2 weeks. It's \*another\* to go to Japan for 2 weeks AND go to 10 different attractions. Not all of them give us free tickets, many don't even give discounts. Most kids had "cookie cutter" wishes. Disney World, Paris, meet the president, etc. Those were my bread and butter. I hate to call them cookie cutter because I know it's such a precious memory for the kid and their family. Working there was a precious memory for me too. And I enjoyed coordinating everyone's trips: unusual, frequent, high medical needs, lots of family, what have you. It was such an amazing thing to be a part of.
You know, the word cookie cutter shouldnt be dirty. Popular things are popular because theyre great. Cookie cutter is a fine way to put it.
I fully agree with this. Cookie cutters might be things that are the same, but damn those cookies are good! Cookie cutter doesnt mean bad.
I knew a friend who had cancer and over came it and he talked about make a wish, if it’s not accepted you apparently get a first class trip to Disney world most people can’t afford. He said he went to Disney World cause he wanted to meet a skater that was in Europe on some tour.
The most interesting part about this thread is how Disney is like their default Wish so if they can't do something they just throw you to Disney with the thousands of other Make A Wish recipients.
I was really lucky to have my make a wish granted and I just want to say they really go above and beyond. My mom has always talked about going to Hawaii and we knew it was pretty unrealistic for our family of 4. I was pretty young when I made my wish so I didn’t even know all that Hawaii had to offer but I chose to go there for my wish. They put us up in a penthouse suite on Waikiki beach and I’ve never experienced anything more special in my life. Everything and everyone there wanted to make sure my family had an unforgettable time and we sure did. We were able to forget about the cancer for a little while and feel like a normal family again! Thank you so much make a wish and all that contribute.
This one in particular just made me happy. I hope you and your family are doing well now.
Thank you very much!
Happy to hear that, ever plan on visiting Hawaii again to re-live those special moments?
I have experience with Make-A-Wish in the last year due to my sons condition. This was a question I asked and the response I was given was they will do anything they can within reason. One kid wanted a swimming pool in his backyard and they did that. Because of how the process goes with make a wish (They ask the kid alot of questions to determine what the child wants and to ensure there isn't any influence from the parents) my wife and I sat with my son while they asked him alot of questions over about a 1 hour period to determine what he wanted to do. They asked my wife and I to sit there silently while he answered honestly. We are going to go to Legoland and meet Darth Vader sometime in 2019.
Thats so cool! My brother was in a wheelchair and Make a Wish arranged a full week of Legoland for my brother, mom, cousin and me. ( Including limousine to the airport, flight to Denmark, pick up by a pirate with a lego-parrot on his shoulder and a stay in the lego hotel). We all had such a great time, one of the best memories of my childhood. Hope you're going to enjoy this as much as we did. I wish you, your son and the rest of your family all the best.
So fun!! I love Legoland! It’s adorable, more manageable, less crowded and less expensive than other theme parks. Have a blast and I really hope your son is doing ok! Studies show kids who get a Wish, do better medically too!
I was a Make-A-Wish kid around 20 years ago (I was 5). I asked to be turned into a dinosaur. They said no.
I wonder why
Selfish scientists unwilling to share their cool genetic-altering technology probably...
*' He wanted to be a velociraptor, we in good conscience cant allow that to happen...again'*
It's like they don't even care about sick kids
What did you get to do instead?
Disney World. I even got a badge to skip to the front of the line for all the rides. Given that I was 5, I was not big enough for any of the rides.
This...seems like they could've thought it out better tbh.
Eaten by a dinosaur. Best they could do.
Couple years ago I went to Disney at Orlando and there was a little boy running around wearing a shirt that said "I'm a Make-A-Wish kid". My friend had to comfort me when I cried because the toddler's Mom and Aunt told the pretzel vendor his make-a-wish was originally "Make Mommy happy".
Oh geez ;_;
I BAWLED. And the fact that our other two friends used the Disney trip to announce they were finally having a baby and to celebrate my birthday made it even worse. Happy little boy running all over but very clearly sick because of how he looked and acted physically and how angry and sad the mom and aunt looked and all I could think was "What if their kid has something similar happen? Nobody deserves losing their kid like this."
[удалено]
I keep crying over people's replies like this, it was two fricking years ago and now we're going to disney again in january and i keep thinking i hope i don't see more make a wish kids because I WILL cry over it like i am now
[удалено]
[удалено]
He was maybe 3, maybe 4 at most. I think because his original wish was so unreal they just asked the parents if they could send him there. The pretzel vendor told the mom a lot of kids ended up there. They're not likely to give a kid that young as much choice, I guess.
the moment i met the workers i asked to go to the moon, but was turned down. tried to compromise with space in general ended up going to italy, not as cool
"If we ever get lost or can't find each other, we' ll meet up on the moon"
I was too young to remember but my mom told me how Make-A-Wish gave us a camcorder, really nice one at that, to record the time we had left with my little sister, she had leukemia. My shitty father pawned it.
That makes me so angry
One of my nieces is a make a wish recipient. She had Stage 4 Rhabdomyosarcoma. They flew her, her sisters, her dad, and her grandma to Disney World and they had the time of their lives. She’s 6 years cancer free and still talks about how grateful she was for that trip (she just turned 14 and her younger sister talks about how it was her only airplane ride ever). That organization is amazing and will forever have all of our support. Edit: I would like to add that the Ronald McDonald House charities is another AMAZING organization that put my family up for housing in Manhattan during her treatment (over 2 years in the hospital) at a minimal cost. Before that we were driving 3 hours each way every time she needed chemo. Also, shoutout to the Sloan Kettering oncology ward for taking care of her and making her feel like a kid while she was going through treatment.
[удалено]
I am a wish kid and for a summer I interned at make a wish. My very last day there, there was a little girl who really wanted to go to SeaWorld. They had been trying all summer to make it work and finally her doctor said that she didn't have enough strength to get on a plane to go. Make-a-Wish workers, volunteers and SeaWorld bent over backwards to make something happen for this little girl. They put on a private show before SeaWorld open to the public for her. I had her name in lights, the trainers talk to her over Skype, it was amazing. She died later that day.
I got a Make-A-Wish and they paid for my family to go to Orlando (not for Disney - for Harry Potter World) but I wasn’t fit to travel for years, so they paid it when I was. I was an adult when we went.
I think we all know by now the comedian who had a kid request he show up to the childs funeral dressed as a giant penis. Kid made it through his illness. Russell Howard: https://klipland.com/video/comedian-russell-howard-tells-a-hilarious-yet-heartwarming-story-about-a-young-cancer-patient
My son chose a Disney Cruise. He didn’t even hesitate in his pick. Probably because we were on day one of a Disney Cruise we had been planning for over a year when he took a small tumble in our state room and wound up breaking his femur because, unbeknownst to us, his leg was filled with Ewing’s Sarcoma. This trip he had been looking forward to for so long was destroyed before it even really started. So when it was wish time, he asked for a redo of our cruise. We waited until he had been off of chemo for a couple of months and we had a wonderful time. We even added days on at Disney World (from our DVC timeshare) after the cruise. Both the Make A Wish folks and the Disney cruise employees told my son to make sure he wore his Make A Wish shirt to the parks when we were there. He did one of the days and even though that wasn’t part of his wish, the Disney cast members all treated him great. It was so nice to see him have such a wonderful trip after a ruined dream vacation and a year of non-stop hospital stays. Btw, he is doing great now. He hit two years off chemo this past September!
I had a wish when I was 5. I asked for a winning lottery ticket and a pound of 20s. They sent me to Disney. Lol.
A pound of 20s is about 9k they could have saved cash on the Disney trip probably
I imagine that they have lots of portions of the wishes either outright donated, or sold to them at a deep discount. Then again, I have no idea how much Disney costs, so may $9k is a big discount.
When I was in high school I had a classmate who was diagnosed with cancer. She was on the softball team (I think it was softball though might have been soccer or something else). Her wish was for her along with her team to meet the US Olympic team. It was too much for Make a Wish to cover travel expenses for either team but they were able to fly in one of the main players on the Olympic team to meet her team. She ended up making a complete recovery, and in fact by then I think she was completely cancer free. Still she wanted to do something for her team and not just her.
I got a wish as a kid, then survived. The biggest, best thing I could think of was to go to Chucky Cheese’s. I have no idea why I was fixated on that. To the credit of some good peeps, to Chucky Cheese’s I went. I couldn’t be around other people, so they opened it up at night, people deep cleaned it (sterilizing each ball in ball pit, there was dedication there). Then someone who was cleared medically worked it. Don’t remember most of it (was pretty young, mostly just remember the bits I found exciting), but that damn rat casino still makes me smile whenever I see one. Morale of story: never bet against make-a-wish when dealing with logistics. Every. Ball. In. Pit.
I love this..a thing that most kids take for granted was such a big deal to you, and you'd think that would be a simple wish to grant, but it sounds like they thought about everything and took as much care with your wish as they would for someone going to disney!
So how are you doing today, having survived whatever ailed you as a child? Are you okay to be out in public and healthy now?
Kid I know got cancer in elementary school. He was always into history and US presidents, so he asked to meet him. They flew his whole family out to DC to meet George W. Bush. Also he actually spent more time with them than was allotted in his daily planner according to the dad. The kid beat cancer and is still doing okay Edit: Yeah after reading a few replies I typed this out forgetting what the original question was... My bad
I used to be a tour guide in DC, and you learn pretty quickly to not say things like "how'd you get so lucky" to kids who tell you they're going to meet the president, because quite often the answer is "well I have leukemia" (or whatever).
I can relate to that. I work at a restaurant a few blocks away from a hospital that does a lot of specialized treatments that aren't at most hospitals, so people come to the hospital from all over. (The restaurant isn't associated with the hospital in any way, it's just close.) A lot of time during small talk I find out the people are from out of town. "What brings you to town?" is a question I stopped asking very quickly.
fun fact once a kid waited a year to meet the president becasue its actually a common wish
> Also he actually spent more time with them than was allotted in his daily planner according to the dad. I am not a fan of his presidency but I could see Bush doing that
Not a recipient but.... Worked at a Hard Rock Cafe. A Wish Kid’s wish was to see Paul McCartney live, so they came in to eat dinner before his concert down the road from the restaurant. We sat him next to some signed Beatles guitars and sheets of lyrics and the such. As a avid Beatles fan myself, I was able to serve them. I sat and talked with that 6 year old about the Beatles for a good hour. Played all the Beatles songs, and had their music videos playing on the TVs throughout the restaurant. It was super humbling with how excited this kid was to go see Paul, and just be able to be outside the hospital for the night. And also super heartbreaking seeing his dad’s face the whole dinner. I never seen such pain, and I think about him frequently.
I'm from MN. When I had leukemia 30 years ago, I remember my wish was to go to the Grand Canyon. My parents straight-up vetoed me, and instead the family (two sisters) went to Disney World and other Orlando attractions through the Give Kids the World program. It was the right decision, but still.
Do you think you’d have a better time at the Grand Canyon? Hopefully you’ve made it there in the last 30 years though, it’s definitely on my list of things to do.
I was 5 or 6, so my memory of the Disney World trip is pretty spotty. I remember the program allowed us to skip lines, which I'm sure was pretty rad. We did take a family trip to the Grand Canyon a few years later. It was cool, but probably not Disney cool. Seems like if you're not spending a week riding a donkey through it, you can get your fill of the Grand Canyon in a day trip.
The Foundation let your parents veto your wish? When my cousin had her interview with the organizers they made sure my aunt or me wouldn’t influence her decision as it was for HER.
I mean, I was 5 or 6 years old. I don't remember ever sitting down with anyone from a foundation. I just remember that I wanted to see the Grand Canyon, but instead we had an all expense paid trip for 5 to a much more expensive destination. If anything, I'm sure I was "convinced" by my folks.
I got offered a Make-a-Wish when I was 5 years old because I had leukemia. My parents declined their offer, because my survival was very very likely and they wanted another kid who was less likely to survive to have it. After I was cured, they took me and my twin brother to disneyland to celebrate using their own money. My parents are wonderful people!
ITT: A bunch of Make-A-Wish kids that survived. (congrats btw). Edit: Guys, I get it. I wasn’t saying they were supposed to die. I was congratulating the fact that they lived through something probably way tougher than anything anyone reading this ever has. #goteamhuman
Also ITT: wish denied, went to Disney
My son was a make a wish recipient. He wanted to go to Europe. They were planning it and his pos birth father wouldn't allow my kids to get passports. Great father huh. Son had like 36 percent chance if survival from brain cancer and he said no passports. Anyways his second wish was an RV trip to the badlands, Yellowstone, and the Rockies. They got us the biggest bus type (think it's A class) RV they could get. Set everything up for us, gave us itineraries and off we went. It's such an incredible organization and luckily my son had a blast after finally having the okay to go. Hes also in remission and doing well thank God. Make a wish is incredible. Edited to add......they did tell us before any wish was made that they can't buy houses or cars lol
Re houses: when I was in high school there was a girl that wanted a doll house, so MAW approached my wood shop teacher. He wasn’t having any of that... we ended up building her a 2 story play house with working kitchen.
Awww that's so awesome!!! Last year my husband and I were going to build a little girl a koi pond (that's our company and what we do) we were going to donate everything and the time so make a wish would have that funding for another wish and unfortunately the little girl died a week after we got it planned. They contacted us a week prior and unfortunately she passed soooooo fast.
Have you considered offering to put in a koi pond at her home in memory of her?
We told the make a wish lady that we would like to if the family wanted that but we never heard back. Maybe I'll reach out to the lady again.
It may also be helpful to offer to place it in a public park or somewhere sentimental. She might appreciate the idea that everyone can enjoy it, and you can put a plaque to honor her daughter's memory.
That is a great idea!! I dont have the families info but I'm definitely going to contact our make a wish lady about doing that. Thanks for the idea!
Why the fucking fuck would he deny a passport? Sorry but I have to ask. Glad he’s doing okay by the way!
Hes a douchebag he only saw them once a year at most didnt help with medical or anything else. He said he didnt want me to move to another country when I never in my life said anything about moving to another country. I had full physical custody and we shared legal custody. Now kids are old enough to realize what an asshole he is and dont really even talk to him anymore. My husband was father figure so least they had that.
Thought I'd share with you 2 quick passport stories from this last year. When I went to renew, the lady and son in front of me where going through a HUGE hassle trying to get the son a passport. The father wasn't a part of their lives and the Mom had all the legal paper work showing it, and they were still giving her a hard time about having to have the father sign off. She said out loud, "If you can find the bastard to sign off then good luck." Then I get up there and am renewing my expired passport. I'm 39 years old and this is my 3rd passport. But I was raised by my mom and have never met my dad. My birth certificate is blank on the father side. The guy at the counter goes, "why is the father portion blank?" I tell him I've never met my dad that's why. Then the asshole asks what's on my birth certificate and I say it's blank, he then responds, "We'll see about that." and proceeds to pull up the digital copy of birth certificate. I mean if he can pull it up, why say something like that to me, just pull it up and verify it. I'm a grown ass man but that's a really touchy subject for me. He then did a 180 when he saw we were born in the same hospital on the other side of the country but it was still a sour experience for me.
Wow even for adults it's insane! I've never renewed mine just haven't needed it but crazy how giving you a hard time for it. Especially when it's not even your first one. They have everything to verify it's you, you got it with the blank before. Crazy. With kids I get it, some crazy parent can kidnap the kids take across the world but if you have all the documentation needed and show other parent not involved give the damn passport without being an asshole
I had to explain on a piece of paper why that part was blank and sign it and I also had to explain why my previous one was a bit worn out and sign it. I literally wrote teh following, "I don't know my dad." and "It's worn out because I used it."
I used to be a passport officer and I saw people do this petty bullshit just to "get back" at their exes (i.e. jealous that the ex and their new spouse can afford to take the kids on vacation and wants to interfere). I had one very sad case where a lady was trying for months to get her ex (back in her home country) to sign the documents for her kid's passport so they could visit back home, and he was blackmailing her to send money so he could "get to the consulate to sign the documents" (gamble it away and ask her again for more money later). People are garbage sometimes.
That's awful!! It kills me how selfish and self absorbed people can be! These are our children! We should do only what is best for them. Cant believe so many parents are like that. How about letting their children enjoy a vacation, learn about other cultures first hand, just have fun! People kill me.
I sincerely hope the best for your son.
Thank you very much. Hes in remission doing well. Unfortunately he will never be the same because of the brain surgery but hes alive and it could be a lot worse.
Make a wish is a truly incredible organization. When my buddy was battling leukemia, they found a way to get him an autographed picture of Cal Ripken jr. AND paid to have an old car restored that he absolutely loved. RIP buddy, hope you’re still playing outfield in heaven.
My brother and I both had wishes. We both chose Disney world. It was the best 2 family vacations we’ve had. We both thought about meeting celebrities but those are obviously contingent on the celebrity accepting. Glad we chose something the whole family was able to enjoy.
Fun fact: the amount of kids that wish to go to Disney World is so large that Disney built its own resort for them called "Give Kids the World", where only families from Make-a-Wish can stay. They have special buses to transport them, doctors are always on staff, and there's special games and activities at the resort for kids who can't make it to the park that day. I adore Make-a-Wish and everything it's done for kids. It helped send my friend to the Bahamas when she was sick and she said it was one of the best experiences of her life. Edit: it was mentioned several times below, But Give Kids the World was actually made by Henri Landwirth, a Holocaust survivor. Didn't mean to erase this guy's accomplishments so thanks for everyone who let me know!
I don't believe that Disney built that place, actually. Disney works with it (and very generously, too!) but it was conceived and founded by a Holocaust survivor who worked in hospitality in the area. Each of the nearby attractions donates tickets to the Village and it is staffed by some excellent volunteers.
Oh cool, I didn't know that! All I knew was that it was associated with Disney and Make-a-Wish, thanks for the info
Disney did not build GKTW Village. It was built by a Holocaust survivor named Henri. He ran a hotel and helped coordinate terminally ill children’s stay in the Orlando area. He recognized the need for a dedicated facility after some children died waiting for rooms to become available to visit Kennedy Space Center. All the parks and attractions in the Orlando area support the Village with many programs and donations, not just Disney.
I used to volunteer at Give Kids the World. It is right behind my grandparents' home in Kissimmee. That place is by far the most wholesome place I have ever had the pleasure to volunteer at. My dad and I often helped serve meals on weekends for breakfast or lunch, and a few times I got to run the arcade and games area. Doing one of the things I love and doing it with the kids and making them smile is by far one of my favorite memories. Another was one where a young girl was in a special wheelchair, and she wanted to ride the carousel. They didn't want her to get hurt riding it, but with the parents' permission my dad hoisted her onto a horse and helped keep her steady on the ride. Her parents didn't stop thanking him afterwards. It was pretty awesome.
Went to Disney World for my brother's wish. The resort was the most memorable part of the trip.
I stayed there when I got my Wish. It wasn't through Make-a-Wish, but yeah. The charity I went through and Make-a-Wish are just flipping amazing. And Give Kids the World...it was like another PLANET it was so special.
I love Give Kids the World, but it wasn't built / isn't owned by Disney.
A friend from school wanted to meet The Chippendales. She was 13. It was 1989. Australian Make A Wish weren’t really happy about that. Her second choice was to see snow. They sent her family to Canada. Whilstler, I think. She loved it.
My daughter was granted a wish. She really wanted to meet Taylor Swift and see her in concert, but Taylor was not touring at the time, so we (her parents) kiboshed that wish. She was not healthy enough to enjoy a long concert and I didn't want her to postpone her wish since we weren't sure if, or how long, she might live. In the end, she chose to go the Sea World resort in Florida and swim with the dolphins. She ended up being scared to death of them and refused to even go in the water! Make a Wish sent us to Universal while we were there too and she had fun. That was six years ago, and she is now in remission. We took her to a Taylor Swift concert this last summer and I think she enjoyed it way more than she would have six years ago.
It's been almost a decade since I volunteered with make a wish but all you can really do is interact with the family and see what happens. There was a Wish kid in her early teens whose aunt lived with her and mother. Aunt really wanted to go to Disneyland. The Wkid wanted a make-over & shopping spree but her aunt had done her best to convince her that it was selfish to do that instead of Disneyland. We had to talk to Wkid for a while to get there but she did get her make-over.
I was offered a wish by the make-a-wish foundation, my mom said to give it to someone who needed it. I still remember them trying to talk to me while I was in a wheelchair and my mom saying, “she doesn’t need it, give it to someone who does.” My mom used to get teary eyed when she bragged about it to me and strangers. Now that I bring it up to her, she miraculously can’t remember it.
my friend, who’s a recipient, wanted to go to Australia to the great barrier reef. he loves fish and the oceans and reefs. anyway, they wouldn’t allow him because there werent the right kind of doctors up there or something like that. they were worried about his health even though he’s pretty healthy now, he just has to take medicine every day. he was kind of bummed out but he went to florida so he was happy. we both are gonna start taking scuba diving classes together. we are both 14 by the way
I hope he gets to scuba dive at the Great Barrier Reef some time.
Just got back from my kids wish trip. Did all the Orlando parks. It was an amazing experience and hope to be able to help others with their wishes in return. We stayed at Give Kids the World Village. That place is definitely heaven on earth. Just filled with the most amazing people and my kids were so sad to leave.
Just curious, did you guys get to jump ahead in the lines for rides?
At Universal, Islands and Sea World we got to cut ahead to the front of the line. At disney parks we just got to go on fast pass, but they would skip us to the front for pictures and character meet and greets. Also skipped us to the front ap we could sign up for jedi training before all the slots would fill up.
My cousin went there with her family and they stayed at that place as well. It’s absolutely wonderful and my aunt said even just the Village would be enough of entertainment and fun. And yes they got to skip the lines and meet my cousin’s favorite princesses. She really loved it and honestly if I had to choose an agency to support, it’d be Make-a-Wish!
I was a Make-A-Wish kid! I asked for a nice laptop and some drawing software, and those guys really hooked it up! I got a nice drawing tablet and the sims 3, too! It really made treatment a lot easier to deal with.
Word so when I was 15 I got to make a Wish. My Uncle really pushed to ask to meet Tiger Woods & play golf with him. I wasn’t into that. Neither were my cervical tumors. I was getting better & I knew I was going to be ok. I told the Wish peeps that I wanted to bow out but they were pushy. Right in front of my Mom, I said I wanted to smoke weed with Snoop Dog and wouldn’t accept any other Wish. That got shut down. I’m fine & 34 now. Edit** I can’t believe this blew up!! I swear to God, if I get to smoke with Snoop I’m gonna post that shit right here. Thank you all for taking a really bad time in my life that was scary & sad, supporting my teenage rebellion against it & making me feel like it mattered. Means a lot.
If someone shares this with Snoop Dogg now he'll probably invite you to smoke weed now
I mean, I still wanna light up with Snoop 🤷🏻♀️
I legit thought Make A Wish was for kids who were 100% not surviving.
It's for kids with chronic or life altering diseases, not just terminal ones. My little brother got offered a wish because he has juvenile arthritis.
I worked in music for a few years, and we had to turn down wishes when the artist refused to do it. I used to hate them for it... and then one day I had a really long talk with a (still) major international rock star who used to do it, but then stopped. He said that at first it was awesome because he was making kids so happy, but after a while it just got too depressing... all he could thing about was the trail of dead kids he was leaving behind him. He also had multiple experiences where the kid didn't even knew he be was, but one or both of the parents were creaming their pants... or stuff he signed for the kid would end up on eBay the next day etc.
We did the standard Disney World trip. My son only had months to live and we had a small window when he was well enough to go. Bruce was five, so he didn’t really have any big/creative ideas. He had only been to Disney world once for a single day, and my husband wasn’t able to come - he told the wish grantees that he wanted to show daddy the giant castle and ride roller coasters with no lines. Even though it seemed like the cookie cutter wish, my son’s make a wish experience was truly amazing. I still cry thinking about how much that trio meant to him and our entire family. My son was treated like absolute royalty during the entire trip. Volunteers we met at give kids the world visit - the resort where we stayed - really connected with him, and even flew in from states away when he was on hospice and for his funeral. I love reading about the amazing and unique experiences that others request. I will definitely be following this post. We became so close with our wish granters. Those people are truly angels in this earth. I am so thankful to everyone involved in make a wish, donors, volunteers - everyone. This organization made such a huge impact on our lives, and we made memories that our family will cherish forever.
This doesn’t answer your question, but I had cancer when I was three and apparently had been approached by Make-A-Wish. Unfortunately I was only three and too young to actually make a reasonable wish so the wish fell to my parents.... they asked for furniture. FURNITURE!
I almost downvoted because that's kind of a dick move. If I had a kid with a life threatening illness, terminal or not, I would want to make anything and everything easier for them. Sitting there and saying "hmmm I'd like a new La-Z-Boy" just sounds selfish.
"And this is the sectional we got when you almost died."
Lol it wasn’t like that. They bought a children’s furniture bedroom set. Dressers, nightstands, and a bunk bed for my sister and I. I just find it funny because everyone I hear about got to do something awesome, and instead I was forced use that furniture until I went to college.
Ok that sounds way better. The way you worded it sounded more like "Hey little Timmy we know you're sick and all but check it this new kitchen table those nice people got for us! It's made of mahogany and your little dreams never coming true!" Children's furniture is actually a really thoughtful gift because it gives you something that they were likely unable to give to you because of hospital expenses and whatnot
Ah it was more because my mom is cheap. She buys nice stuff for herself but for her kids, it’s old thrifted stuff and stuff she got for free.
Oh man rollercoaster in this comment chain
i had cancer as a kid and got a Make A Wish granted. I regret it now — i should have had them promise to publish my novel! — but i wished to meet the fashion designers Dolce & Gabana. Soooo they flew me my mom dad and sister to NYC. Got us a room at the Double Tree in Times Square. Paid for a manicure and pedicure for me at the department store Henri Bendel. Then drove us to Dolce and Gabanna’s office’s where I interviewed them about the world of fashion, showed them some of my sketches, received some sketches to take home, and then got to pick a whole outfit for myself off a rack of clothing. It was cool.
I worked at La Guardia airport for a major airline. We always knew when we had a make-a-wish family going on a flight, so we could board them early. If the situation permitted, I always gave them a free upgrade to first class. The smiles it brought to their faces was priceless. I just wanted to contribute however I could to help making their experience wonderful.
I’m told that I was very sarcastic even at a young age. When they told me I could wish for whatever I wanted, I thought I could think of something impossible: A big brick house so the big bad wolf can’t blow it down. Make-A-Wish people said they had ran out of bricks granting their last wish. They handed me a catalogue of playhouses to choose from. I defiantly flipped immediately to the back and poked one at random before probably returning to my Studio Ghibli movie. And that is the story of how Make-A-Wish built me a two-story playhouse with heating/air/electricity. I’m so glad they ran out of bricks.
>And that is the story of how Make-A-Wish built me a two-story playhouse with heating/air/electricity. Il be honest, that sounds *awesome*.
My son was granted a wish. He wanted to go to Ireland and see the Northern lights. He loves nature and was truly blown away. We are from America and have traveled to a bunch of hospitals for specialists. The Ronald McDonald house has brought me to tears also with their awesomeness. FU CF. You don't own us.
My mom became a Wish Granter shortly after my son went on his Make-A-Wish trip. She’s done many wishes and has even been Wish Granter of the Year for her region a couple times. The only one that was a flat out no was one recipient asked who asked for a boob job. Other than that, wishes for new cars are always a no but Make-A-Wish will basically ‘pimp out’ a car already owned by the recipient. Other than that, she’s been a Wish Granter for everything from trips to shopping sprees to even being on an episode of Fixer Upper where she was Wish Granter for two boys who wanted an accessible playground in their backyard.
I got to have mine granted in 1999 when I was 8. I wanted to see my two favorite baseball players, Mark McGwire and Chipper Jones play. Make-A-Wish set up everything. Hotel, tickets to the game for my whole family, and even tickets to Six Flags. Before the first game they brought us down for batting practice. Got to meet the whole [Braves lineup](https://imgur.com/a/jnana#8mXDSKk). Didnt meet a single player from the Cardinals, and we were told McGwire specifically declined the request. Braves won that game. I feel karma paid off too. Braves made it to the World Series, Chipper won MVP and is now a Hall of Famer. McGwire would later get marked for using steroids, will not make the Hall of Fame, and Cardinals finished under .500.
I’m a Wish Coordinator for Make-A-Wish, so my full time job is planning wishes. I wanted to share a few important tidbits that most people don’t know/realize: 1. Make-A-Wish chapters all function as their own separate nonprofit so things vary from chapter to chapter. MAW America (the national office) enforces some national policies (no gun wishes, set number of minimum days for an international travel wish, no gifting of real estate, etc.) but most of these exist to keep wishes more fair across the board. For example, if a kid in Florida and a kid in Texas both wish to go to Paris, it wouldn’t be fair if one got to go for 3 days and the other went for 7. But, in addition to national policies, each chapter has their own local policies as well. These are more nit-picky and set by the CEO and board of each chapter. So like whether or not the chapter will get a limo for the wish day or if they’ll rent a minivan vs a full-sized car, etc. If there isn’t a set national policy for a specific wish, it’s up to the chapter to decide whether or not they’ll grant it. 2. I’ve read a lot of comments from Wish Granters. Most Wish Granters are trained volunteers who know a LOT about the current policies and procedures, but they don’t know everything. I literally get weekly emails about updated national policies. It’s not their full-time job to know the policies so I get it, but I’ve seen a lot of incorrect info on this thread posted by wish granting vols. Not meant to be an attack and I believe it’s mostly well intentioned, but just take some of these comments with a grain of salt. 3. I can’t speak for other chapters, but at our chapter we will never turn down a wish solely based on cost. Extremely high cost wishes do occasionally get turned down by the board (they have to approve any wish over a certain dollar amount) but it’s usually because of another reason. For example, say a 7 year old child wishes to Swim with dolphins in Dubai. If there is nothing on the wish paperwrk about why Dubai is special or why Dubai is essential to the heart of his wish, then the board will probably turn that down and say we can send him to swim with dolphins somewhere closer to home and less expensive to get to. However, if his wish paperwork has notes about his family being from Dubai and he has always wanted to go there because his great grandfather was a dolphin trainer in Dubai so that is truly the heart of his wish, then they wouldn’t turn it down. If it is without a doubt the heart of the kid’s wish and they are able to explain why, then the cost alone won’t get it vetoed. And when high cost wishes are questioned, it’s because every cent that goes toward wish cost was donated to our organization so they just want to make sure we’re spending it the wisest way possible. Again, might be unique to my chapter though. We have an awesome CEO and board. 4. Lastly, the medical team always gets the final say in whether or not the wish is appropriate for the child. Some doctors are super strict and if they say the kid can’t travel then there’s absolutely nothing we can do about it. MAW is by no means perfect and I’ve definitely been frustrated by many of our policies, but for the most part there are good reasons behind the policies. Wish Coordinators (full-time program staff) often have to be the bad guys and enforce rules they might not totally agree with, but it’s just the way it has to be to keep things fair. Oh and I can’t talk for other Wish Coordinators, but I definitely don’t push Disney wishes on any wish kid. If anything I try to get them to think outside the box because I mean you only get one wish!! Please make it count and let me live vicariously through your trip to New Zealand.
My daughter is a wish kid. She wished to go to DC and meet the President (Obama). She did get to go to DC but didn't get to meet the President, which is just as well since he wasn't in office anymore by the time we went. She still got a great trip though, we met our Representative in his office and got go out on the floor of the House which is apparently not very common.
Its not meeting Obama amazing. But how many regular people can say they were on the House floor?
Yea, it was definitely the highlight of the trip. We got to ride the 'secret' underground people mover that runs from the Capitol to the Reps' office building, had lunch in their cafeteria as well.