Introducing our new Wish It Forward Council
Recently, we’ve recruited an incredible group of wish parents and alumnae/i who will serve as inaugural members of our new Wish It Forward Council.
“Right now, with so much uncertainty in the world and so many wishes waiting, our wish kids and their families need extra support,” says CEO Betsy Biern. “Who better to lead the charge than the families who have been through it and experienced the power of a wish? We’re so grateful to everyone who has stepped up to help.”
Wish It Forward Staff Lead
Molly Martin, wish granted in 2010
Molly works on the development team here at Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area, but at 12 years old, she had her own wish to go to Disney World granted by the Oregon chapter. “I still credit my wish today as one of the reasons why my family is so close,” she says. “We still have those memories and it really grounded us after everything we’d been through.”
Wish It Forward Council Members for FY21
Becky Bauer, wish granted in 2004
Today, Becky is a business school student, but as a child, she faced a long battle with leukemia. Her wish was to be a Hollywood extra–she visited Lindsay Lohan and the rest of the cast on the set of Herbie Fully Loaded. It was a crucial turning point in her journey and an amazing opportunity for her family to bond after a traumatic experience. “One of the big takeaways was that it really made my family close,” she says. “Having those bonds and being able to have some kind of shared happy memory from the whole ordeal was just so nice.”
Courtney Rodgers, mother of wish kid Kiera (wish granted in 2018)
Courtney’s daughter Kiera was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of five. In 2016, her unique wish to meet leprechauns in their natural habitat came to life! The whole family travelled to Ireland for a life-changing trip, and Kiera had the chance to meet the last known leprechaun whisperer. After her wish, she was crowned the first official Bay Area leprechaun whisperer. Today, Kiera has finally completed treatment and recently started the fourth grade.
Deborah Huber, mother of wish kid Jack (wish granted in 2018)
When Deborah’s son Jack was 14 years old, he received a life-saving bone marrow transplant. He used his wish to give back, creating an awareness campaign about the bone marrow registry. Jack and his parents have stayed active in the Make-A-Wish community, attending and speaking at events, and Jack has continued with work with Be the Match–he’s successfully convinced over 700 people to sign up! “I’m just so struck by how Make-A-Wish just takes every wish to the full extent, and doesn’t hold back,” Deborah says. “It’s incredible.”
Dylan Cazin, wish granted in 2019
Dylan, a Leukemia survivor, musical theater buff, and theme park enthusiast, wished to travel to Disney World last winter for an extra-special Imagineer experience. “It was an awesome experience just to be able to spend time with my family and reconnect after everything we went through.” Dylan is now a healthy college sophomore. When he’s not busy studying Technical Theatre and Design, he plans to pay it forward so that more kids can experience life-changing wishes like his. “I'm super excited to give back to Make-A-Wish,” he says. “It really just changed my life for the better and I just want to do everything I can to help.”
Erin Lewis Wade, mother of wish kid Ella (wish granted 2014)
Erin’s daughter Ella had her wish to meet President Obama come true in 2014. Since that life-changing experience, the whole family has stayed closely connected with Make-A-Wish. They’ve fundraised and spoken at countless events, and Ella’s dad, Gene, serves on the Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area board. “Make-A-Wish has had an immeasurable positive impact on our family,” says Erin, “and if sharing Ella’s story means that more children will be able to benefit from the wish experience, we are fully committed to the effort.”
Jake Silberg, wish alumni
Jake’s cancer came on quickly at 14 years old, while on a family trip to Italy. “I didn't see the Colosseum, didn’t see any of any of the sites in Rome, I wasn't able to eat anything,” he says. When he was finally declared cancer-free two years later, Jake wished to head back to Italy to experience everything he’d missed out on. The Italy trip left a lasting mark on his whole family—they formed friendships with the doctors who treated Jake and his parents are even planning to relocate to Rome! Today, Jake is 27, healthy, and thriving. “My wish was obviously really special,” he says, “not just in that moment, but as it created these lifelong friends.”
Justin Wang, wish granted in 2019, and his mother, Yang
While recovering from a heart transplant, Justin wished to create a heart-healthy cookbook that would help him heal. Putting together the recipes was a lot of fun and testing them out helped him build back his strength. Justin has since made speaking appearances at several Make-A-Wish events, most recently at our Quarantine Kitchen virtual cooking session with Bricoleur Vineyards. He’s also the star of a YouTube video from cooking channel Tasty that has received over 165,000 views on and cooking tutorial with 1.2 million views on Facebook! “We’re honored to be here with all the council members so we can help with fundraising and make more wishes come true,” says Yang.
Kim Wong, father of wish kid Bryan (wish granted in 2017)
During a long battle with cancer, computer games like League of Legends were a huge comfort for Bryan. He wished to visit the Riot Games headquarters where the game is made, and received much, much more than just a tour—he was invited to attend team meetings and share his thoughts on the game. As an avid clarinet player, Bryan also had a chance to record a solo track with the Riot Games’ musicians for the soundtrack of the game. The staff even created a custom skin for his character to use for years to come, which launched a massive fundraising campaign. The entire family was moved by the experience, which inspired his father Kim to launch an annual fundraising campaign of his own at his office, raising over $10,000 to underwrite the average cost of a wish. “I just felt that I wanted to give back,” says Kim.
Lena Strickling, wish granted in 2008
Lena has been a part of the Make-A-Wish family for almost 14 years now: first as a wish kid (her trip to swim with dolphins in the Bahamas was incredible), then a member of our Youth Board, a wish granter, and even an intern! She recently graduated with a degree in nonprofit management, and dreams of one day becoming a CEO for an organization like Make-A-Wish. “I’m excited to keep doing things that give me inspiration and hope, and allow me to give back,” she says.
Patrick Suciu, father of wish kid Sophia (wish granted in 2016)
Patrick’s daughter, Sophia, had her wish to go to Disneyland come true in 2016 following a tough fight with lymphoma. The trip was overwhelmingly positive for the entire family, and Sophia had an amazing time meeting her favorite princesses. Patrick says that the trip was “healing for the whole family.”
Stacy Keegan, mother of wish kid Waylon (wish granted in 2019)
When Stacy’s son Waylon first learned that his wish would be coming true, he burst into happy tears. “He was sobbing,” she says. “He was happy because it was the first time something good had come out of his cystic fibrosis, after being in and out of hospitals forever.” Waylon wished to go to the Nickelodeon resort in the Dominican Republic, which ended up being an amazing, relaxing trip. “That was a really great gift that the whole family was given,” Stacy says. “I’m really excited to give back.”