I wish to go to Pixar Studios and meet the animators
Tai, wish granted 2002
cancer
How Tai’s Wish Redefined Her Future
Learning how to navigate the world, figuring out who you are, or what you want to pursue as a career, are all teenage concerns. And the emotions that go hand-in-hand with them are only heightened when given a diagnosis of a critical illness.
For wish alum Tai, this was her lived experience. At 16, she was diagnosed with aggressive bone cancer.
Suddenly, instead of worrying about her homework, she worried about the next surgery or chemo infusion. Lines between her and her diagnosis started to blur. Decisions about her no longer fell in her hands.
“I had to drop out of school for a year to do treatment, so it was a very isolating time,” she said.
Over the course of her treatment, Tai met several adults who needed something from her — blood samples, vitals, or any test you can think of. It’s easy to become overwhelmed by the influx of new people as you’re navigating so many other life-altering experiences.
But partway through her treatment, there were two adults who broke through the fog, and instead of needing something from Tai, had something for her — a wish.
“My wish-granting volunteers were not scary adults...They provided a great opportunity for me to kind of revisit things that are important to me rather than people coming and doing blood draws or prepping me for surgery or infusing me with chemo,” she said.
Tai's wish to meet Disney animators gave her something to look forward to, but more significantly to Tai, gave her the chance to take back the reins of her own identity.
“My wish longer term was really about allowing me to define myself again on my own terms. Who am I outside of cancer? What’s important to me? What do I want for my life and what do I want my life to look like?”
When Tai was 17, her wish was granted. On her actual birthday she and her family visited the Disney Animation Studios. They explored the studio behind-the-scenes and met many of the animators behind the most popular Pixar hits at the time. Between spending quality time as a family, seeing drawings from her favorite films laid out for her to see, to a giant birthday ice cream sundae in the cafeteria — the wish day itself was exactly what Tai dreamed.
“Seeing the full wish journey — from the initial phone call, to hearing the excitement from wish families after their wish was granted — was such a heartwarming and inspiring experience
Tai
Wish Alum
But 22 years later, the most special part of Tai’s wish isn’t rooted in a single day or experience, but instead how it shaped the course of her life.
“I get really excited when I get to talk about my wish and…how it really shaped decisions that I made about my life, about what I studied in college and what career I chose to pursue and a whole bunch of other areas of my life,” she said. For a decade, Tai chose to put her professional talents to work at Make-A-Wish Alaska and Washington as the chapter’s in-house graphic designer. She used her design skills to share the joy of a wish by telling the stories of wish kids just like her.
“Seeing the full wish journey — from the initial phone call, to hearing the excitement from wish families after their wish was granted — was such a heartwarming and inspiring experience.”
Tai’s life changed and continues to be touched by her wish experience. Her 20+ year relationship with Make-A-Wish is something that continues to influence her daily life. Tai’s wish gave her back autonomy over her own life. It shaped who she is, what she studied, and how she makes choices. Because a wish is more than just a day, it’s a moment that lasts a lifetime.
Discover how you can help make wishes come true for other kids like Tai today!