...a wish experience can be a game-changer for a child with a critical illness. This one belief guides us in everything we do at Make-A-Wish®.
It inspires us to grant wishes that change the lives of the kids we serve. It compels us to be creative in
exceeding the expectations of every wish kid. It drives us to make our donated resources go as far as possible.
Most of all, it's the founding principle of our vision to grant the wish of every eligible child.
Wishes are more than just a nice thing. And they are far more than gifts, or singular events in time.
Wishes impact everyone involved - wish kids, volunteers, donors, sponsors, medical professionals and communities.
Andrew is a cheerful boy who always wears a smile, even during his battle with a brain tumor. Like many 4-year-olds, he adores the cartoon “Paw Patrol” so he wished to have a puppy. While going through treatments and staying at the hospital, pets were brought in as therapy and those interactions helped him greatly.
Now that he has finished his chemotherapy, it is the most paw-some time to fulfill his dream! It was love at first lick when 4-year-old Andrew met his new best friend, a mini goldendoodle puppy. His new pup, who he named "Biscuit", came equipped with everything a new dog owner needs - vet care, crate, bed, and other necessary supplies.
Andrew’s wish was sponsored by a 6-year-old wish kid. Kinsley Peacock received her wish to go on a cruise to the Bahamas in 2019. A fellow cancer survivor, Kinsley created Kinsley’s Cookie Cart, a non-profit that raises money for pediatric cancer and granting wishes. Andrew’s wish is the first of six wishes that Kinsley is granting this year.
To 12-year-old Kendra, her own golf cart is about freedom and fun! Battling a gastrointestinal disorder for nearly her entire life, she has spent many days in the hospital, endured extended periods of being fed through an intravenous tube, and for the past six years, periods of severe arthritis. This is her chance to embrace life to the fullest!
On wish day, her mother asked her to check the mail and her new ride was sitting in the family’s driveway. “I asked for it but I didn’t think it was going to come true - then it did! This is so exciting,” Kendra said.
The golf cart was customized to Kendra’s specifications. It is a beautiful black street-legal golf cart with a lift kit, LED lighting, sound system, sporty tires and rims. To make it even more perfect, there are yellow sunflowers and a personalized license plate.
Kendra looks forward to her parents driving her and her friends around the neighborhood. She also dreams of taking it to the local baseball fields to sell drinks and snacks. Kendra’s mother said, “From the bottom of my heart, there’s just complete gratitude. We are blessed and thankful but we are hurting too because she’s hurting. But we all had something to talk about that was really exciting. It helps get our mind off of her treatments. It helps bring in emotional comfort.”