Nanci recently came to the Charlotte Wish House and brought a photo album of the wishes she’s been involved with over the years. She has so many special memories of her time with the wish kids and families. She chose a few wish stories to highlight….
One of her early wishes was with a young girl who wanted a dog. At first, Nanci worried that the dog would be too much for the single parent family who lived in a second floor apartment. The wish was granted, and a medical professional later told Nanci that a dog was the best thing that could have happened for the girl. The little girl loved the dog so much that she walked everywhere with it, pushing through her pain and getting the exercise prescribed by her doctors.
Another wish story Nanci recalls featured a wish for a backyard play area. Crunching the numbers for the wish, the numbers rose, and the wish was looking unattainable. That's when Nanci asked a man doing work on her house if he knew anyone who poured cement. He did. Long story short, she helped secure donations of supplies and labor for the wish. The wish kid, who was in a wheelchair, was granted her wish and absolutely loved her amazing backyard play area. There was even a big play house featuring built-in activities that doubled as physical therapy, which she enjoyed. Through her volunteer experience, Nanci has learned that people want to help - You’ve simply just got to ask.
The final story Nanci tells is about a wish kid with cancer who wished to go to Fiji. The father believed that the wish was unattainable at first. He was also fighting his own pride of not being able to pay for the trip himself. After it was confirmed that the child truly dreamed of a Fiji wish, Make-A-Wish staff and volunteers began figuring out how to grant it. Nanci heard about a national Make-A-Wish program that grants a significantly costly wish each year. They submitted this teenage boy’s wish for consideration, along with his reasons for wanting to go - and it was chosen! The trip was just what the boy envisioned, including a very special cava ceremony. His father was so thankful that he hadn’t impeded his son's wish from being granted. It was just what they all needed.
Nanci raved about how so many businesses go above and beyond to make things special for wish kids - Balloons, gifts, signs, all making wish kids (and their families) feel special and seen. She tells of one little girl whose wish was a shopping spree. Her wish included splitting up the shopping money with each of her siblings. Nanci contacted each of the stores that they would visit in advance. She was deeply touched by the efforts made by so many to make the shopping spree wish fun and happy for the young girl. For example, the wish kid wanted to try on rings at Tiffany’s. However, she didn’t ask for anything, as she knew the jewelry was expensive. The Tiffany’s store staff made the girl feel special, like a celebrity, as she modeled the jewelry and pictures were taken. Deeply touched by the wish kid who shared her wish with her siblings, the Tiffany's store manager graciously gifted the young girl a beautiful necklace, perfect for a girl her age.
Over the years, Nanci has seen wishes evolve due to the child’s health status, and she has run into wish parents who share pictures of their child thriving today. She’s given hugs, visited hospitals, painted rooms, made posters, cried and cheered. In her 20 years volunteering, she’s seen wish families who go on to help make wishes come true for other kids, and she saw COVID-19 change the way we meet with critically-ill children. Now, Nanci says she’s lucky to do this. “I love Make-A-Wish. It’s so important in my life. And I have so much admiration for the families and how they deal with kids who are so sick.”