Give care packages to teens staying inpatient at Seattle Children's
Harry
14
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Harry's Wish
Wish kid Harry is wise beyond his years. His maturity is only outmatched by his huge heart and his passion to help others. For his wish, he has chosen to pay it forward by creating gift bags/comfort kits for teen's staying in-patient on the oncology floor at Seattle Children's Hospital.
From a young age, it was clear that Harry was wise beyond his years. He also had a huge heart for those less fortunate than him. One of his first acts of service was probably back in the 5th grade when he focused his school project on raising funds for the local Humane Society.
Fast forward to today and that maturity and philanthropic desire has grown exponentially. In fact, it’s gotten a big boost from an unexpected source: his cancer diagnosis.
When Harry first complained of knee pain, it seemed reasonable that it was a result of working out and playing tennis. Physical Therapy sessions appeared to resolve the issue and he was soon back on the courts.
However, a couple of weeks later, Harry awoke one morning with such intense pain in his knee that he could not even walk from his bed. “It felt like a hammer pounded into my kneecap every three seconds,” said Harry. “I was screaming in pain and my meals basically consisted of pain medication and anti-inflammatories.”
The next few days were a whirlwind at Seattle Children’s Hospital as a team of doctor tried to determine the source of his pain. Tests ensued and ultimately a bone marrow biopsy produced the diagnosis: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“In the course of a week and a half, my life changed,” said Harry. He was admitted to Children’s and immediately began 5+ months of chemotherapy.
“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’s wish is to provide comfort kits/gift bags to in-patient teens starting their treatment at Seattle Children’s Hospital!
“I have had such satisfaction over the last 20+ years, working as a wish-granting volunteer,” said Susie Naye, one of Harry’s volunteers. “Believe it or not, THIS was the first time I was involved in a wish where the child didn’t want something for himself/herself but rather wanted to GIVE something to other children.”
Susie’s wish-granting partner, Lynne agrees that Harry is one-of-a-kind. "He has turned this challenging, life altering experience of making it through cancer treatment, into an opportunity of selfless giving. There is nothing more fulfilling than knowing you have made a palpable difference in the lives of other people."
When Make-A-Wish approached longtime partner, Macy’s, asking for help in fulfilling his wish, they immediately sprung into action. They hosted an in-store shopping experience so Harry could personally select some items for the bags with the help of two personal sales associates to walk him through all the options. There were balloons, noisemakers and employees lining the aisle as Harry and his family made their grand entrance into the home store. Harry took his position on the red carpet and his humility was on full display.
Before shopping for the items, he dropped his letter to Santa in the Believe mailbox in support of Macy’s Believe Santa letter-writing campaign in which Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish, up to $1 million, for every letter dropped in mailboxes or written online from Oct. 26-Dec. 24. Harry’s wish is one of three nationally that Macy’s is celebrating as part of this beloved campaign.
From there he picked out pillows, throws and comforters all compliments of Macy’s! But, their generosity didn’t stop there. When they learned that Harry wanted to express his thanks to the oncology staff, they threw in two Nespresso machines and pods for the employee lounges, as well as some Seahawks’ gear and hand crème for the staff.
“He’s such a good kid, he makes me want to be a better parent,” said Ed. “This is his way of paying it forward.”
Harry, his family and his wish-granting volunteers will deliver the gift bags to Seattle Children’s Hospital in late November. Harry hopes to be able to continue this project well after his wish is granted. In fact, he has taken steps to create “thefirstnightproject.org” and is now studying the ins and outs of establishing a 501(c)(3).
When asked why he thinks wishes are important, he replied, “It’s a light to look forward to. When you are given a life-threatening diagnosis, you don’t really see the light in the world. You feel like everything is stacked against you. The people at Make-A-Wish and the donors show you that there are people who are willing to give you that light.”
Read part two of Harry's wish story!
Special thanks to Macy’s; Susie Naye and the Associated Press for their photography; wish-granting volunteers, Susie Naye and Lynne Witham