"I volunteer for Make-A-Wish now in your honor.”
In February of 2015, Lydia’s life changed forever. Her daughter, Paulyn, needed surgery to amputate her leg. “In a week’s time our world turned upside down,” Lydia said.
But despite this, a beacon of hope and stability emerged—her Make-A-Wish family.
When Paulyn’s social worker said that she would be eligible for a wish, Lydia was afraid of what it meant for her daughter’s prognosis. But her child life specialist, Katie, quickly reassured her that Make-A-Wish grants wishes to children beyond those who are terminally ill. To ease Lydia’s nerves, Katie decided to join Paulyn’s wish journey as one of her wish-granting volunteers.
Paulyn wished to make memories with her family in a place that they love— and they did just that traveling to Orlando, Florida. Lydia recalled that by far the highlight of their trip was Paulyn’s interaction with a dolphin named Winter at Clearwater Aquarium. Winter had a prosthetic tail, due to an accident that required her tail to be removed. Because of this, Paulyn saw herself in Winter and developed a sense of confidence for what her own life might be like after her surgery.
To this day, Lydia and her family keeps in touch with the “Florida Angels” that made it all possible. However, the real impact of the wish didn’t unfold until their return.
“Paulyn was really transformed and very different. She was running, she had no more pain,” Lydia said. The wish was the one thing the team at the Children’s Hospital of Montefiore couldn’t give Paulyn on their own. “That was one of the best prescriptions, best medicines ever,” she said.
Two years after her wish, Paulyn ultimately lost her battle with osteosarcoma. Lydia was used to having her days filled with appointments and surgeries, so the immediate void in her life was immeasurable.
“It was a major transition because I practically lived in the hospital,” she said. To pay tribute to her daughter, Lydia immediately registered as a Make-A-Wish volunteer. “No matter how difficult it was and how difficult it still is, I think this is you. Everything you went through, this is you. I volunteer for Make-A-Wish now in your honor.”
When it came to picking her partner for her first wish as a volunteer, Lydia unsurprisingly leaned on Katie to be her mentor. Since then, Lydia has touched the lives of over 30 wish families. From shopping sprees to trailer wishes, she has become a true wish expert. While each family has their unique struggles and victories, she sees her daughter in each one that she serves.
One young boy in particular that Lydia worked with touched her heart. He had a similar wish idea to her daughter, but his progressive eye condition was causing him to go blind. Even though he couldn’t see the dolphin, they were able to connect via touch. That shared experience with Paulyn left her speechless.
Recently, when Lydia helped grant a wish for a puppy, Lydia felt that connection to her daughter again. “There was a moment when I just had to move away,” she said. “I had little tears coming down, because Paulyn always wanted to have a dog.” Serving as a volunteer is just one way she continues to connect with and give to her daughter, even though she is no longer with her. Because of this, people often call Lydia brave.
“I’m not brave, I’m daring,” she always responds.
If there is something her wish kids can dream up and have the strength to do, Lydia makes it her mission to find a way to make it happen— just like she had always done for Paulyn.
“It's as if I hear her saying to me in her adorable, high pitched voice ‘Yes, Mama, do it for the children.’”