Wish Alumni Then & Now Feature – Ellison

My name is Ellison Lambert and in 2014, my Wish to go to Walt Disney World at Christmastime was granted. Sitting down to write my story reminded me just how impactful Make-A-Wish Eastern North Carolina has been in my life and I’m excited to share my journey with you. 

The story begins in 2004 when I began exhibiting odd and recurring symptoms that stumped every doctor I visited. It took three years and an episode of serious illness for me to finally get a diagnosis. At that time, my lungs and kidneys were hemorrhaging; I could not breathe and I struggled to walk and carry on normal daily activities. In 2007, I was diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disease, a form of vasculitis, called Microscopic Polyangiitis. 

For many years I had what seemed like constant doctor visits, medical tests, treatments and took a lot of medications. I went through things a child shouldn’t have to go through, like many other Wish Kids. Fast forward to 2013 - I was 16 and my doctor mentioned Make-A-Wish to me and suggested that I apply. Before I knew it my Wish Team was in my home brainstorming Wish ideas with me. It was clear that they wanted me to choose something that would provide lifetime memories. 

I’ve always been a huge Disney fan so it was an easy decision once I heard about all of the special magic of a Disney World Wish. A few months later, with all of the details thoroughly planned out, my Mom, Dad, and I were on a plane heading to the happiest place on earth!

From the pilots on the plane wishing me a happy trip over the intercom and the incredible Give Kids the World village where we stayed, to skipping ride lines in the parks and special interactions with characters, my Wish week was the best time I could have ever imagined. It was a week of intentional time spent with my family celebrating good health and focusing on the special moments we were having. It was amazing. I always joke that Disney hasn’t been the same for me since that trip because we were treated like royalty but in reality, the entire Wish experience changed my life and I am forever grateful. 

Because I was an older Wish Kid, I saw and truly appreciated the impact that wishes were having on other Wish Families that we met on our trip. I quickly realized that I wanted to have a part in helping create the same type of memories for future families. The passion to help others in this way never dulled and in my junior year of college, I applied for and received an Events Internship with the Eastern North Carolina chapter. Interning with Make-A-Wish was a full-circle moment and it was a huge honor to be able to give back in a small way to the organization that gave me so much.