Two years ago, at age 12, Matteo began to have uncomfortable symptoms. He felt sick to his stomach, was vomiting often, and began to lose weight at a concerning rate.

Matteo’s doctor at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford suspected something was happening with his kidneys, which led to an unexpected diagnosis—Matteo had a germinoma, a type of germ cell tumor. “We received this news and didn't know how to react or what to do,” says his mother, Lia.

It was a scary and uncertain time, but one person in particular was there to support Matteo and his family—Dr. Paul Fisher. Dr. Fisher is chief of the Division of Child Neurology at Stanford Medical and founder of Stanford’s pediatric brain tumor program. For families across the Bay Area, he is known for his kind, thoughtful care.

“When we met Dr. Fisher, in every sense of the term, he became our hero,” says Lia. “We were looking for that guidance, we were looking for that support on what to do next, and we wanted to hear that everything was going to be okay.”

Matteo’s dad, Giuseppe, says that Dr. Fisher helped their family immensely as they were coming to terms with Matteo’s diagnosis. “He quickly put us at ease and really made us feel as though we were in the best hands,” Giuseppe explains. “He always had a good joke or a
little quip about something going on that day.”

Dr. Fisher knew another thing Matteo and his family needed—the power of a wish. A referral source for Make-A-Wish for more than 25 years, Dr. Fisher has referred more than 300 children for wishes.

Matteo’s wish to meet his favorite author came true this year over Zoom, and it was a day the family will always remember. Lia says it was amazing to see Matteo’s eyes light up with excitement once again. “After such a hard and long journey, wishes are such a positive turn for the kids and their families,” she says. “Finally, there is something that isn’t scary, isn’t a hardship or isn’t painful. It’s so magical.”