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The Power of a Wish

Make A Wish Foundation

Is there any word more delicious than “wish”? Any concept more potent  in its possibilities? A wish is a miracle, when a miracle is most needed.

Which is precisely the objective for the Make-A-Wish Foundation (MAW), the purveyor of pure fantasy for children critical illnesses. Since 1986, the Connecticut chapter has granted over 3,400 wishes, approximately 225 each year.

I spoke with Director of Major Gifts Kim Pugh, who is used to talking about MAW at length: everyone is enthralled by the foundation’s deliverables. I mean, a wish? Anything??

With few exceptions (tricked-out Maserati, hunting for wildlife), yes!

A playhouse with a purple door, backyard zombie cabin, baby alpaca - pretty much anything their parents can tolerate.(Of note, wishes are not limited to terminally ill individuals. 90% of the recipients grow up and many become part of the MAW alumnae network.)

If you are between 2 1/2-18 years old with a qualifying illness you are eligible for a wish. Period. Nothing else matters: not religion or income or race or whether or not you told your little brother he ate slugs when he was a baby.

Wishes fall into five categories:

  1. I wish to be… (firefighter, policeman)
  2. I wish to have… (shopping spree, puppy)
  3. I wish to go… (travel)
  4. I wish to meet… (celebrity, local magazine editor)
  5. I wish to give… (throw party in the hospital for all of their caregivers)

You can’t have a double-wish unless it happens organically, i.e. I wish to go wine-tasting in Napa Valley and eat at French Laundry. And it should be the child’s wish, not the parents’.

In addition to being a director, Kim is one of 300 Wish Granters, or “human dream-weavers” in Connecticut, which is where the wish begins. Two Wish Granters are assigned to each family to gather information about the child’s heartfelt wish and ensure they know that the wish and the Wish Granters are as close to magic as they may ever get.

“We’ll ask ‘Favorite color?’ ‘Favorite food?’” Kim says, “If they say ‘pizza with olives’ then I’ll bring them a pizza next time I see them.”

In some cases, such as with Westport’s Mateo Riera, the child knows what he wants: to be at Barcelona vs. Real Madrid game!

Mateo was diagnosed with leukemia when he was five and spent the next three years in treatment. His mother, Ines, says, “He had frequent appointments and lost his hair. He had a port in his chest to receive IV chemotherapy in the hospital and took lots of medicine at home, and chemo through lumbar punctures.”

When he was cancer-free for two years and off his medication, MAW flew him and his family to Barcelona and arranged for his grandparents to join them. The night of the game, a driver whisked them all to a wonderful dinner and gave them stadium tour passes. Mateo was beyond thrilled. “[The soccer players] are superstars for him,” Ines exclaims.

She describes the experience as “Indescribable. Just being able to finally feel like you can celebrate something in a way that’s through his desires and wishes. I’m at a loss for words.”

The wishes are arranged by Wish Coordinators. They have access and ability to do things we mortals can not. For instance, a popular destination is Disney World (well, pre-COVID). The Wish Coordinators arrange for transportation, hotel, special “alternate entrance” passes for rides, meeting Cinderella at her castle, even opening the front gate in the morning.

While the cost fluctuates with each wish, the average cost is… wait for it… $10,000. Woah, right? Some wishes cost a bit more but are worth it: a young girl hadn’t seen her grandfather since she was three years old. She learned he was terminally ill and wished for her entire family of eight to fly to Ghana and visit him. MAW flew them to West Africa, and her family was able to see him right before he died.

Some are less, like a puppy. So the Wish dream team will throw in toys — training, vet expenses, food for a year, maybe a dog bed - fun extras to make it an amazing experience.

Wishes are as varied as the kids who make them:

  • A girl, 5, fighting cancer, wanted to be a ballerina. She was gifted ballet classes and is waiting until she can be brought to the Schubert so she can dance beneath the lights.
  • A boy, 17, fighting cancer, wished for a shopping spree. While on the spree he bought gifts for his brother and his mom “Because my mom takes care of me,” he explained, and because he knew his illness affected the entire family.
  • A boy, 14, fighting cancer, wants to take over a diner for a day: plan the menu, cook, take orders, the whole bit. MAW is currently researching what diner he can take over and when is a safe time to do so.

Unfortunately, no wish can stop COVID. But the MAW team is doing whatever they can to make sure these kids get what they want. Not only do these children need a generous sprinkle of fairy dust, but doctors have noted the most withdrawn and reticent of kids come to their appointments smiling and talkative after their wishes are granted.

Further research has shown that wishes save lives by giving kids hope and a reason to survive. A wish “renews hope, uplifts spirits and encourages the belief in the impossible.”

And a little bit of happiness, a small escape from reality, never hurt anyone.

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