Harry's Wish

Several cars pulled into the round-a-bout at Seattle Children’s. It wasn’t an entourage for a Seattle Seahawk there to visit with the kids. It was an unassuming, humble 14-year-old named Harry who was there to change the world in the way he could: by paying it forward with his wish to give care packages to teens staying in-patient at Seattle Children’s oncology ward.

Harry’s journey to this very moment started 8 months prior, when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. With that diagnosis, his life changed overnight. Soon he found himself in a strange room, away from home and anything that made him feel safe and comfortable.  “When I was in the cancer ward, especially that first night, I was scared and I was incredibly uncomfortable and I just wanted to go home.”

That thought stayed with Harry so, when he learned that he qualified for Make-A-Wish, he knew he wanted to use his wish to help other teens experiencing a similar situation.

Harry wished to create gift bags filled with specific items he believes will help teens feel more comfortable while undergoing chemotherapy in the hospital. His decision to pay it forward wasn’t a surprise to his doctors.

Harry’s gift bags include: a quality comfortable pillow, a gift card to his favorite pizza place—Pagliacci—and a Netflix subscription.  When longtime Make-A-Wish partner, Macy’s, heard about his wish, they immediately said they wanted to help. They hosted a special in-store shopping experience where he got to personally select the pillows and blankets, along with a few other extra special items to gift to the oncology staff. “He was overwhelmed when he found out that Macy’s would not only be gifting pillows but several other wonderful items to Children’s Hospital in conjunction with his wish,” said his mom, Ann.

Oncology fellow, Dr. Rula Green Gladden agrees, “I think of Make-A-Wish as an opportunity for kids who have given up so much—and even more so in the COVID-19 pandemic—to rightly and deservedly live out a wish which I hope is a reflection of their wildest dreams.  Harry’s wish to take care of other pediatric cancer patients may not seem consistent with that, but it is a natural expression of his empathy for others, which was evident through his entire course of treatment, even when he felt really miserable.  I know that giving to other kids is going to bring him a lot of joy.”

You can help make other wishes like Harry’s come true this holiday season with your support of Macy’s Believe campaign. For every letter to Santa written online or dropped in the big red letterbox in Macy’s stores from Oct. 26-Dec. 24, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, up to $1 million.

Special thanks to Macy’s and wish-granting volunteers, Susie Naye and Lynne Witham