As parents, we had moments of absolute terror, where we thought …we could lose him.

Our son Lucas was always active and gregarious, until he turned five. He started having mind-numbing headaches that left him in tears. In his karate classes, we noticed he was having trouble balancing. It was odd. But, as parents, you don’t jump to the worst-case scenario right away. Maybe it was an inner ear infection, we thought.

But then he said the TV was blurry. He couldn’t walk in a straight line. At our family cabin, he vomited all over. We took him to the pediatrician. They took a CT scan, and, suddenly, an entire team was in the room, telling us that Lucas had a grade four brain tumor the size of a golf ball. 

Within 16 hours of his diagnosis, he had surgery, which lasted several hours. After surgery, Lucas lost his ability to walk. His eyes were crossed. The entire experience was fast and traumatic.

Six weeks post-surgery, Lucas endured eight rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation. He had to relearn to talk and walk, relying on a wheelchair and a walker for a couple years.

It’s hard to watch your child lose their basic motor functions. You keep telling yourself – But they’re here. They’re alive. You grab hold of gratitude wherever you find it.

Amidst the chaos, Lucas qualified for a wish.

Lucas wished for our family to go to Sunriver, Oregon – an outdoor paradise near the Deschutes River.  Sunriver has bike riding, pools and hiking – it’s a recreational playground ripe for making new and positive memories.

We had a countdown calendar leading up to our wish getaway. Lucas was so excited! And when our adventure drew near, our wish granters, Ken and Lou, arranged a wonderful send-off celebration at Red Robin. Lucas beamed the entire time, before and after his trip.

There’s a memory we’ll always cherish. One afternoon, we walked out to the pool and there Lucas was – in a floatie - grinning, laughing and so carefree! We were happy-sad to see him so full of JOY in that moment – having fun in a beautiful place after losing years of his life experiencing something traumatic and yucky, where he was stuck in a hospital.

We love that memory of Lucas - floating in a pool so independent and free. The year prior, he couldn’t even walk. And then another full circle moment surfaced. We departed for Lucas’s wish trip on August 6^th - the anniversary of his diagnosis.

We stood there, hand in hand, feeling the heaviness lifting. Lucas was getting his wish. He was here with us - alive and happy.

If you want to help kids like Lucas experience the joy of a wish, become a wish-granting volunteer! All it costs is the gift of your time. Contact Amy at [email protected] for more details.