In the spring of 1980, an Arizona Department of Public
Safety officer learned of a 7-year-old boy with leukemia, and that his one wish
before he died was that he could be a police officer “to catch bad guys.” That
little boy’s wish was granted, and the seeds were planted for a foundation to
make a dream come true for children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses.
Now more than 30 years later, more than 226,000 children in
the United States have been granted a heartfelt wish through Make-A-Wish foundation.
It takes a lot of planning, and a lot of people, to make this happen.
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| Melissa Kesner with her daughters and husband |
Melissa Kesner became a volunteer wish granter in 1999,
after she moved to Kansas City for work. She had heard of Make-A-Wish, and knew
it had a Kansas chapter in need of volunteers. For her, it was a way to connect
in her new home town.
“My very first wish granting experience, the wish child
wanted to be in the army for a day,” Melissa said. “It was awesome - we were
able to partner with a local army base and had him go through a modified basic
training camp. He got to ride in a helicopter, march in a group, and he
earned an award at the end!”
One her most elaborate requests was a child who wished for
an International cruise around Italy. The request was challenging for several
reasons –it involved international travel, and the cost was fairly extensive.
The local chapter spent 15 months coordinating with international Make a Wish
organizations and individuals in an effort to grant the child’s wish. It
finally came through and the trip was the wish of a lifetime!
Travel is a fairly common request. “Most of the younger wish
kids that I have worked with like to go to Disney World in Orlando,” Melissa
said. “For an older child, almost anything is game. I have done shopping
sprees, room make-overs, cruises, celebrity meetings - there are some
limitations to what we can do, but for the most part this is the one time I
have always said the wish recipient can be selfish.”
One child wished for a shopping spree, so Melissa and her
wish granting partner arranged for a limousine to take her to Oak Park Mall,
ending in a celebratory pizza party with her friends after. Another child
wanted a bedroom make-over. Over the course of several months, Melissa was able to get in-kind
donations from a local design firm and mattress warehouse, and local contract
teams to paint and arrange all new furniture. The day ended in a surprise
reveal for the wish child.
Meeting celebrities is another frequent wish, though not
necessarily singers and movie stars. “Athletes have been more of a draw,”
Melissa said. “One wish kid wanted to meet the Miami Heat players and another
wanted to meet the Tennessee Titans quarterback.”
An important part of the process is to ensure the child’s
wish is something the child truly wants and is excited about. The process
begins with a referral, usually from a child’s physician, but anyone can submit
a request on behalf of a child. Once the screening process is completed, two
volunteers meet the wish child and family.
“The purpose of these meetings is to understand family
dynamics, understand any medical or physical limitations, and brainstorm ideas
for what the child would like to 'do, see, be, or meet',” Melissa said. The
brainstorming is generally done as a game, so the child imagines a variety of
ideas, and eventually narrows it down to the one special wish. Some children
know right away what they want, while others need a little more time to dream.
You might suppose that meeting these children would make a
volunteer wish granter feel sad. Not so, Melissa said. “Most people think Make
a Wish is just for those children that are terminally ill - it can be, but it
is also for those kids who have had a life altering experience, but with
medical care, may live a long life. I am only with the family through the
wish process, and then we say goodbye. Paperwork is part of the process -
but mostly volunteer wish granters get to do the fun stuff!”
Melissa comes from a background where she was regularly made
aware that many people had difficult lives. Her father was a Lutheran minister
in the Missouri Synod. “I grew up being familiar with people who lived or were
living through challenging situations,” Melissa said. “My parents always gave
back to the community and set a wonderful example for us.”
That background helps her with her job today, as a Physician
Services Manager with Children’s Mercy Hospital. Melissa’s current job has
required some time adjustments, so she is taking a break from wish granting but
hopes to return before long. “This is an opportunity to give back,” she said, “but
also a chance to really be thankful for what I have been given. These kids
are a testament to facing obstacles and working through them. How can you
not love putting a smile on someone's face?”
To learn more about Make-A-Wish, please visit http://wish.org.
