Owen's wish delivers hope

This otherwise spunky kid had undergone brain surgery in the fall of 2019 to remove a tumor that doctors believed was benign. By March of 2020, right as the pandemic tossed our world into a frenzy, doctors discovered that the tumor was re-growing.

Owen needed another brain surgery.

This time, he couldn’t have friends by his side because of all the COVID-19 restrictions. That didn’t stop the community from giving Owen the support he needed to face his next surgery and recovery. The day after Owen found out he needed a second surgery, he heard from Make-A-Wish. That was the first little spark of hope along the way. Something to look forward to.

Then came the community send-off. Before Owen and his family left home for the hospital, a 330-car parade came by his home to offer encouragement. This included Owen’s wish granters who have been with him every step of the way—and were excited to cheer him on through the hardest part.

Owen underwent his second brain surgery and was discharged from the hospital in an amazingly quick time. That’s when he started thinking seriously about his wish.

At first, he was set on traveling to Florida to visit Legoland and Walt Disney World(r) Resort. But once again, normal things were not so simple. With travel restrictions in place for a long time, Owen realized it might be worth thinking about a new wish.

That’s when the idea took shape: what if he could have a dream playroom in the basement where he could do all the things he loves?

Just before the holidays in 2020, Owen’s wish came true when his basement was transformed.

First things first, Owen wanted cozy carpet to make it “less basement-y.” And he wanted his favorite color paint—blue—for an accent wall. Then he needed to be able to do all his favorite activities in the comfort of his home. The wish team installed monkey bars and a rope swing. A rock wall with a new set of official climbing shoes and chalk. A Lego creation station. An air hockey table. His wish granters even surprised him with an old school arcade machine.

Doesn’t this sound like a fun place to recover?

Owen’s mom says the absolute best part about the wish? “Giving hope to Owen.”

She’s so thankful that Make-A-Wish showed up just the day after Owen received such difficult news, because the whole journey of his wish offered hope.

These days, you can find Owen down in the basement in his incredible dream playroom…. And he’s had two follow-up MRIs that are clean.

Thanks to the generosity of the community and the kindness of his wish-granters Juli and Joyce and Kelsey, Owen continues to experience the life-changing impact of a wish.

Would you like to offer hope to other kids like Owen?

Special thanks to HUG Construction, Home Depot, Sherwin Williams, Sony PlayStation, Wayfair, Katie Getman, Costless Carpet, HUG Construction, and wish-granting volunteers Joyce Mullane, Kelsey Groff, and Juli McClave.