I wish to have equipment to make YouTube videos

Shy

11

blood disorder

Shy_YoutubeSetUp_AKWA

Shy’s Wish Points to a Bright Future

Eleven-year-old Shy has been battling sickle cell disease his entire life.

He’s no stranger to setbacks—bouts of pain and hospital stays that no kid should ever have to endure. But Shy’s medical condition doesn’t hold back his competitive spirit or his love for pranks, gaming, and living an active life with his family. He loves playing with friends, being outdoors, and basketball games.

When Shy first heard that he qualified for a wish, he thought he might like to travel to Florida.

When COVID arrived and brought with it travel restrictions, Shy’s wish-granting volunteers started brainstorming other ideas for wishes that could be safely granted during a pandemic.

That’s how Shy’s creative wish idea first bubbled up to the surface.

You see, Shy has always loved watching YouTube videos and long dreamed of becoming a YouTuber. He loves gaming videos, vlogging—and has even thought about creating videos that offer some insider glimpses into what it’s like to live with sickle cell disease.

However, watching YouTube videos is different from creating them—and Shy didn’t have the equipment or technological knowledge of how to create videos to launch his own channel.

What better time than during a global pandemic to learn how to become a YouTuber?

That’s why Shy wished to have the equipment to become a YouTuber.

He needed the basics to jumpstart his dream: a desk, a MacBook Pro, microphone, greenscreen, LED light, camera, and software for videography.

On the day his wish came true, Shy and his mom left the house for breakfast.

When they returned home, Shy knew something was happening when he saw the local news station parked outside his house.

His mom, Nisha, recalls the joy of his wish. She says, “When we pulled in for his wish, Shy thought: this day is for me! He felt so good and when he saw the news truck out there… I was beaming and so happy for him.”

Then Shy saw the balloons and Make-A-Wish banners…And his wish-granting volunteers inside the house setting up his equipment.

Shy’s smile says it all—the joy that a wish delivers—and the hope it provides for the future.

For Shy, the wish day was just the beginning.

Shy_YoutubeSetUp_AKWA
Shy practices using his new YouTube equipment on his mom, Nisha.
“The wish is a milestone for him. It’s a huge memory in his life. Once he gets his YouTube channel going, he’s going to affect a lot of people in a good way.”
Nisha
wish mom
Shy_YoutubeSetUp_AKWA

Shy live in his new Youtube equipment studio!

When asked why wishes are important for kids like Shy, his mom says, “It’s amazing and such a beautiful thing that there’s an organization that grants things that are small and large—to bring happiness and positive energy and endorphins. Wishes are about the feeling. About the smiles. Making life-altering changes and memories.”

Would you like to help make wishes come true for kids like Shy?

Special thanks: Bungie Foundation, IHOP Muldoon, and wish-granting volunteers Victoria Vandersommen, Stefanie O’Brien and Cricket Bishop.