From Wish to Forever - A Love Story
This isn’t just any wish story – it’s a love story.
When Kristen was diagnosed with a severe gastrointestinal disorder in high school, she had no idea what the future held. The medications weren’t working well and she was struggling with school and hospitalizations. But then came a happy surprise… a wish.
“It definitely caught me off guard,” Kristen said. “But it came at a very good time.”
The purse-obsessed teen wished for something unique: to tour the Louis Vuitton factory. and see how the iconic bags are made.
Kristen got a private tour of the factory, learning about the brand and how bags were assembled. She loved meeting the people involved and particularly bonded with their host for the day, talking about her journey. “They were so amazing. When you're there and you see the people, the work they're doing, by hand, it just makes you appreciate it so much more.”
She and her family spent their days exploring Paris and taking it in, a stark contrast from their lives back home.
“When you’re fighting a critical illness, your reality is medications, doctors’ appointments, and being poked and prodded. You feel like you don’t have control over your life. This wish was my way to have that moment of control and to step away from all that,” Kristen said.
“It gave me the push that I needed to go forward again and get to that place where I am now. Up to that point, everything was exhausted - mentally, physically, medication-wise, treatment-wise, like we were at the limits of it all. This was the reset I needed. It had such a positive impact on me.”
What Kristen didn’t know at the time, though, was that Paris and Louis Vuitton would become a part of her love story, too. After her wish, Paris became Kristen’s favorite place in the world. So, years later, when her boyfriend planned to propose, he knew exactly where it should happen.
“Her family talks about that wish trip all the time, what a great time they had, and how it’s her favorite place,” Chandler said. “That's where I wanted to propose. In Paris, at Louis Vuitton. I wanted to make it something special.”
It was 4 years in the making.
Wanting to propose in 2019 when he graduated college, Chandler tried contacting Louis Vuitton directly, to no avail. Then the pandemic hit, Louis Vuitton’s factories shut down indefinitely, and a job in Seattle threw multiple wrenches in the works.
Determined to make it happen, Chandler reached out to Make-A-Wish to see if they could help. Within a few weeks, he had an answer - the proposal couldn’t happen at Louis Vuitton, but they did offer another factory tour as a surprise.
When the couple finally made it to Paris, Chandler proposed in the gardens of the Palace at Versailles (not a bad back-up, he admits).
And of course, Kristen said yes!
“I was very surprised and of course very happy,” Kristen said.
But the surprises weren’t over. Two days later, he brought her to Louis Vuitton.
“It wasn’t until we showed up at the gates that it clicked,” she said. “I was shocked, completely shocked. That whole experience, him organizing it all, was such a perfect surprise.”
While they toured a different factory this time, one thing was the same – the host she bonded with on her first wish trip.
“It was incredible to talk to her about my experience there all those years ago and for her to be able to see the outcome of where I am now,” Kristen said. “Just to be able to reconnect and reminisce on all that was incredible.”
In summing up her experience, Kristen said, “I almost wonder, if I had gone to Paris not through Make-A-Wish if necessarily the love that I have for it would have been the same. It’s so meaningful to me, because it was so impactful it really does feel like my wish was part of my treatment plan. I think no one expects it will have that much of an impact on the health of a patient and a family. But, speaking personally, it really, really did.”