Every wish starts with a referral. As a social worker, Denise often finds herself working with families who feel hopeless about the future or with kids who worry about their next round of treatment. But in the midst of their anxieties, Denise says a really enjoyable part of her job is shifting the conversation to the child and asking, “do you want to talk about something fun?”  

Denise has had a natural affinity for helping people ever since she was a child. In her professional life, her main goal is to help the families she interacts with to understand that they are more than their illness. Referring children for wishes is just one of the ways she makes them feel whole again. “Planning for a wish gives them permission to think and talk about something that is not medical,” Denise said. “It shows them that it is okay to be sick AND have a good time. That it’s okay to be sick and laugh and create meaningful moments somewhere other than the hospital.” 

As someone who works with wish kids before, during, and after their wish, Denise has witnessed the transformational power of a wish firsthand. For some wish kids, their favorite part of the wish is feeling in control of their life in the uncertainty of battling an illness. For others, wishes have been something joyful to look forward to during treatment. “When we start talking about what they can wish for,” Denise explained, “they get this starry look in their eyes. Just imagining the various things that they’ve always wished for and trying to formulate their wish, it’s just awesome. As we start talking about the wish, we engage in a different way. We get to be silly.” 

Denise always remembers wish kid Edwin who wished for a shopping spree. In her mind, Denise thought “you could do something much bigger - don’t waste your wish.” However, she later learned that this shopping spree positively impacted Edwin’s entire family. As a teenager battling cancer, Edwin couldn’t do normal 16-year-old things like go to school or hangout with friends. He even felt distanced from his sister, but his wish changed that. With his shopping spree money, Edwin bought a gaming system so that he and his sister could play games together while he was in the hospital, and that purchase brought his whole family together in new and exciting ways. “I was able to watch his desire to be a good big brother continue to develop,” Denise said. “That’s just an example of how Make-A-Wish touches the family in such bigger ways than you think.” While Edwin’s wish was a simple shopping spree, his ultimate wish was granted every time he and his sister play video games together in the hospital.  

Working in the Bronx, Denise is key WishMaker in ensuring that children from every neighborhood and borough have the opportunity to see their wish come true. “I work with families that are often underserved, and it’s crowded here. It’s noisy. It’s polluted. It’s wrought with other psychosocial stressors,” Denise said. “There are so many things out of control in these kids’ lives, but their wish is something in their control.”  

Denise has been involved with Make-A-Wish for over 16 years and has become a top referrer for our chapter. To this day, she keeps a Walt Disney World keychain with her that one of her patients got her on her wish trip. Even though Denise may be the first step in a child’s wish journey, her impact as a WishMaker on families is everlasting.