His daughter, Nora was diagnosed with a form of kidney cancer at just three years old.

“Our day-to-day lives changed pretty dramatically,” wish mom Val says of the time.

The normalcy of having a young family shifted to a new normal of battling cancer. The shift had an impact not only on Nora and her parents, but on her two siblings as well.

“There came a point where she had ended her treatment, and we were just beginning to come out of it, out of the fog, and we were referred to Make-A-Wish,” Brian says.

At the age of five, Nora’s wish to go to Walt Disney World in Florida was granted.

“The whole family just got completely energized and excited, and we had something to look forward to and plan for,” Val says.

Nora remembers a highlight was the princess ball.

“I just remember having such a fun time,” Nora says. “I remember feeling just so happy and having a break from worrying so much, and that felt really good.”

Now, Brian brings that personal connection to his role at Make-A-Wish Maine, enjoying being on the other side of the process to bring the healing impact of a wish to more families.

“I just feel so lucky to now be in a position to help other kids and other families and really understand on some level what they've been going through, and how this can just be a way for those kids to forget all about that, all about the hard things,” Brian Franks says.