Thank You for Michael's Wish

The moment a child is diagnosed with cancer the walls begin to crumble. A dark cloud descends as your vision of your beautiful healthy happy little angel is replaced with the cold reality of a critically ill child. The child is immediately hospitalized, and as they are settled in a room that has suddenly become airless, the doctors begin the litany of chemotherapy, surgeries, protocol, procedures and side effects.

When I looked at that little 10 year old face lying in the bed, and the reality began to seep in I felt my heart break. He looked dazed and I could tell he was trying to stay strong and brave. None of us could comprehend our new reality. I did hear that his treatment would be three years and eight months long. Leukemia is hard to fight because blood cancer circulates through the entire body. How could the boy who slid into home base two weeks ago now be destined for a life of needles, hospitals and blood tests?

In this fateful day of tragedy there was only one note of hope. When my son’s case manager told him he would be able to make a wish, he raised hi chin and I saw a new light in his eyes. He kept that thread of hope alive throughout his challenge. This one ray of hope was the positive note in a little boy’s difficult reality. He would consider various ways to use his wish. Throughout his treatment years and through his recovery, the dream was present.

Four years is an eternity in a child’s life. Adults turn away when they see a child with no hair or one swollen from chemotherapy or walking with difficulty. They don’t want to face the reality of a child with cancer. That picture intrudes into their world as a jarring reminder that this could be their child. Other children make fun of pediatric cancer patients because they look different. Labels like “cancer kid” and “chemo boy” are hurled at them as they try to recapture their childhood. The aftereffects of chemotherapy and cranial radiation create complications that will last a lifetime. Throughout all this negativity, there is the wish. They get to make a wish.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation isn’t just about a singular event. It is a symbol of hope. Being able to make a wish represents something that makes these children feel special. When cancer interrupts their childhood path, Make-A-Wish creates as little garden spot. It is a place where they can go to dream of something wonderful while they are receiving blood transfusions or when they are so sick they can barely raise their heads. A little child’s world should be full of sunshine and laughter. In these children’s lives, Make-A-Wish shines a light.

Written by wish mom, Donna Garrett, mother of Michael Garrett

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