Wish mom, Laurie, describes how her son’s wish brought hope and joy to the whole family.

"I knew something was wrong with my son, Deki, in October of 2019. Deki had been sick for a few weeks with a high fever, slept all the time, and was having leg pain at night.

After some long nights and trips to urgent care, he was diagnosed with leukemia—and we were sent immediately to the nearest children’s hospital which happened to be hundreds of miles from our home.

It’s crushing to find out that your son has cancer; then to have to relocate for treatment presented so many challenges and sources of heartache for our whole family.

Not too long after Deki’s diagnosis, we found out that he qualified to receive a wish.

I was familiar with Make-A-Wish because my best friend growing up had received a wish. But I didn’t realize that wishes could be granted to children without terminal diagnoses.

Knowing that Deki could receive a wish offered solace. Instead of fear, I could help Deki focus on what would bring him joy. Instead of only discussing treatments and medications, we could brainstorm wish possibilities and daydream about what would make him happy.

Deki really needed something to brighten his life immediately and with the holidays approaching, he started thinking about a Christmas wish.

You see, Deki’s favorite holiday has always been Christmas. He loves Santa and listening to Christmas carols… and decorating…. And eating a big family meal… Oh, and of course, he loves presents, too.

So, while our whole family was undergoing the emotional and logistical traumas of having a child battling cancer, we knew that Deki’s wish should be this: to have an extra special Christmas.

That’s where Make-A-Wish came in.

With the help of his amazing volunteers, Christmas became not just a day with presents under the tree. It became a whole magical season of joy and preparation and making lists for the entire family.

They delivered and set up the “perfect tree” and even scheduled a virtual visit with Santa.