Bryce was born with sickle cell disease and spent most of his childhood dealing with chronic pain and frequent infections. Simple activities like walking and playing outside would trigger his immune system and send him to the hospital.

“My son was ten years old before he was ever able to go swimming,” says Bryce’s mom, Adrienne. “We lived our life based on rules and limits.”

Despite the challenges, Bryce has always had a can-do spirit. “As a child, Bryce always had a spirit of ‘No matter what, I'm going to push through,’” says Adrienne. “And so even when we were faced with challenges related to sickle cell, Bryce still had the same disposition. He never gave up.”

But Bryce felt isolated and couldn’t spend much time with his peers. During his difficult medical journey, what Bryce wanted most was a friend. He dreamed of having a puppy to help him feel less lonely.

“So he always wanted to nurture and love on a fur baby, but we never were in a position to just commit to that level of responsibility,” says Adrienne. “But just his personality—he's always wanted to help. He's always wanted to love on animals or people. He’s never wanted to take no for an answer.”

In May 2022, Bryce received a bone marrow transplant. Luckily, his sister was a match and donated her bone marrow to Bryce, and his world changed. He could begin to enjoy his favorite activities—like swimming and playing basketball—without the fear of being hospitalized. However, he still had to be homeschooled for another year and continued to miss having a connection with kids his age.

“For two years Bryce was unable to attend school,” says Adrienne. “So, as a young child, you can think about the isolation that followed behind it. And even though we tried to think outside of the box, Bryce was very restricted in terms of interactions with his peers, and it became very lonely and depressing for Bryce, and even though with his personality—he tried to find the good in it—but we could tell that it was taking a toll on my son.”

At the end of summer, Bryce found out he would receive a wish and he knew exactly what he wanted. “Instantly he was like, ‘Mom, a puppy! There’s nothing else,’” says Adrienne.

Since bringing Bear home, that smile has rarely left Bryce’s face. Bryce and Bear now do almost everything together. Bryce hardly leaves home without Bear by his side.

“Make-A-Wish has been very instrumental in changing the dynamics of our home,” says Adrienne. “My son laughs because of Make-A-Wish. My son had a major win because of Make-A-Wish. Make-A-Wish granted my family an opportunity for something to look forward to.”

Bryce says that he thought Bear would be the perfect wish because he represents everything Bryce has been through with his sickle cell disease. And now? “Bear’s been a good dog and he really calms me down when, like, certain stuff is going on,” Bryce says. “And, yeah, we’re just best friends.”