Nancy Morreale- Over 100 Lives Changed
“I am often amazed at the strength and resiliency or our young patients. The ability that children have to live in the moment and put aside their problems to have fun is inspiring.” -Nancy Morreale, LMSW
Nancy, a veteran social worker at NYU Langone Health, says she’s lucky to witness the power of a wish time and time again. Whether she introduces a wish at the end of treatment to celebrate a milestone, or in the middle of it as an extra push, she’s often the start of a journey of empowerment.
Nancy set out as a pediatric social worker to help others, but to say that that’s all she has done would be an understatement. Referring over 140 children in her local New York community, Nancy helps kick off a process that produces one-of-a-kind memories for an entire ecosystem of children fighting critical illnesses.
Nancy referred Colby for a wish - he went on a cruise with his family in 2010.
But she also knows that a wish’s impact extends far beyond memories.
“It is not only the diagnosis,” says Nancy. “Often, it’s the treatment and its side effects that impact a patient’s mental health.” To combat this, Nancy said that her and her colleagues “are very invested in empowerment with our patients.”
And that’s where a wish steps in…
“Quickly, the conversation turns to all the amazing things that can be done, and that the child is the one that has this big choice to make.” It empowers them, and gives them something they often miss in treatment – the power of choice.
In the past 13 years, Nancy has seen it all - from puppies, shopping sprees, and even a wish to float down the Nile River. “Wishes bring so much joy,” she said. “They can really unite a family and emphasize the fact that the family went through something so big, not just the patient.”
Jane's wish to go to Walt Disney World Resort, referred by Nancy, was granted in 2017. Today she's starting third grade and doing well.
And while one of her favorite things is see a child wide-eyed telling stories after their wish is granted, this often isn’t the first point at which she sees the potential a wish has to heal.
“It is something that the child can explore with their family and the staff. It is something that the child has to look forward to and plan.” And during that planning process, a family begins to see, sometimes for the first time, just how many people are rooting for them.
“There is such amazement in most parents’ eyes that there are people out there that care,” she said. “They are not forgotten.”
While a wish can teach a family lessons that didn’t even know they needed, Nancy said that there’s also a lot that wish kids can teach us.
“Wish children show the world how to live with medical issues but to not make it define you,” she said. “There’s always room for fun and some wishes really can come true!”