The inspiration for 8-year-old Carsten’s wish came from two very different sources: A video game created through another boy’s wish and an eye-opening trip to India with his family.

When the Make-A-Wish Foundation offered Carsten the chance to make his own wish come true, he thought for months before choosing. His mother, Adrienne, recalls him wondering what would happen if a child from India was diagnosed with leukemia as he was. That’s when he decided that, in some way, he wanted his wish to help children on the other side of the world.

Carsten remembered Ben’s Game, a video game based on fighting cancer. After his diagnosis, Carsten often played the game, which was created in 2004 by Ben Duskin, a wish kid also diagnosed with leukemia. Carsten decided to create a board game that kids in India could play anywhere, at any time.

When Mattel's board gaming team learned of Carsten's wish, they couldn't wait to work with him to create the game that would become Carsten’s Wish. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Mid-Atlantic sent Carsten and his family to Los Angeles to work out every detail with the Mattel designers behind gaming hits such as Uno, Pictionary and Othello.

Carsten created a sketch of the board, which he based on The Game of Life (he loves the Spongebob Squarepants edition). Beyond the look of the board, Carsten had some requirements that would establish an encouraging tone for the game and its players. Most importantly, there are no winners or losers. Rather than competing against each other, players must work together to help the patient drive cancer into remission. Each player takes the role of someone involved in a young cancer patient's life: mother, father, sister, doctor, nurse and other hospital staff members. The game also includes educational cards to explain all the procedures involved with helping a cancer patient heal.

When Mattel’s staff unveiled the prototype of the game, Carsten and his family were amazed.

“I was overwhelmed,” Adrienne said. “They incorporate every one of Carsten’s ideas. It was very professional and creative!”

For Carsten, that day was the highlight of the visit to Los Angeles. He was thrilled to finally play his game.

“My favorite part was at the end of the game,” Carsten said.

That’s when a figure of the cancer patient emerges from a box with its “hair” restored, signaling the end of the treatment.

Now that Carsten has approved Mattel's designs, his game is ready to come to life. Mattel will produce 25 top-quality copies of the game. Some will go to India, and others will go to hospitals near Carsten’s home to give sick kids some much-needed optimism during their treatments.

By Justin Schmid