Responses provided by Alexander's mom, Lisa.

Q: Why did you choose this wish?

A: Alexander chose this wish because he has always been interested in bugs since at least 2 years old, and still maintains his interest. He has been a member of the Scarabs Society since 1999 and has been showing his collection at the Bug Day at the Burke Museum annually since. Now he hopes to get into college to pursue his dream.

Q: What was one of your favorite memories from the wish?

A: Catching a Blue Morpho Butterfly in Barro, Colorado all by himyself. Operating the Panama Canal was awesome and a very close second. The entomologist with us also named a new species of sweat bee after Alexander – Augochlora Alexanderi.

Q: What's your medical diagnosis now?

A: Alexander has been in remission since 2000 with some typical late effects as a childhood cancer survivor. He copes well with the after effects and is generally in good health.

Q: What are some of the highlights of your life now?

A: Alexander is a junior at Mount Si High School. He hopes to get into a college after high school to pursue entomology or something related to insects. He and his dad have just committed to doing the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (204 miles) together with Team-in-Training so they are practicing every weekend through July this year. Alexander has been an honor patient since 1999 for various events, but now at 16 he can participate rather than cheer on the sidelines. This will be his first athletic endurance event. He hopes to get married someday and have his own children. He continues to collect bugs but school and friends take up most of his time.

Q: What did your wish mean to you?

A: Alexander made some life long friends in Panama especially Bill Wcislo and Yolanda Solis. Bill is the entomologist that named the sweat bee he discovered after Alexander and studied in Ecuador. Bill was diagnosed with lymphoma only about a year ago but was treated and is in remission now and doing well. Bill and Alexander now share both a passion for bugs and cancer survivorship. Bill even named one of his sons Alexander as well. Yolanda is at the University of Panama teaching entomology and we keep in touch. Our family met these two amazing people and many others in Panama and hope to return some day. We were treated like VIPs and Alexander called it his “life wish” when we came home. We have traveled every summer, to England and Scotland last summer, and we still say that our trip to Panama was the best ever—a once-in-a-lifetime trip! Unforgettable!

Q: What do you want to tell people about the Make-A-Wish Foundation?

A: To grant a wish for a child who might not survive long enough to live their dream is priceless. When Alexander was granted his wish, I kept thinking how uncertain his graduation from high school seemed and going to college still seems a challenge ahead. Giving Alexander the opportunity to catch cool bugs in a real rainforest like a real entomologist was so precious. Words don’t do it justice.