Introducing wish-granting volunteer Roy Torres! He joined the Make-A-Wish family in 2015 and has a heart for bringing joy to children with critical illnesses.

Roy is married with four young children. He works for an education technology company in El Paso and loves being active and participating in outdoor activities.

Over the last seven years, Roy has volunteered with Make-A-Wish by helping children determine their wishes, serving as an advocate and helping at events. He says that Make-A-Wish has always touched his heart, and he believes it’s important for his children to see he and his wife volunteering and giving back to the community.

With each wish, Roy learns more about how a child’s critical illness impacts the entire family—and he sees the transformation that takes place through the wish journey.

“My favorite part of being a Wish Granter is doing all I can to brighten the life of the child and also their family,” he shared. “When the child is sick, it impacts the entire family. I have gone into a home to meet a child, and my heart fills seeing their siblings care for them just as their parents do. The journey is hard for families.”

Roy is incredibly empathetic to the needs of wish families and admires their strength and resilience. He knows that his work makes an impact in the lives of these families, but every family he meets changes his life, too. He says that volunteering with Make-A-Wish has made him a better person—and a better father.

“It really puts life into perspective for me. It is incredibly humbling and helps me to feel an immense amount of gratitude for everyone’s health. It reminds me that the things that I can sometimes get stressed about are really insignificant,” he expressed.

He’s been part of many wishes over the last few years, but one wish in particular sticks out in his mind.

“There was boy here locally who suffered from seizures but wanted to drive a car so badly. Because he has seizures, he cannot legally drive. His wish was for a dog that can detect when people will have seizures. These dogs are incredibly expensive and his family could not afford one. Make-A-Wish purchased the dog for him for his wish. He was now able to drive a vehicle with the dog being by his side. I remember him talking about it and how much Make-A-Wish changed his life.  All the wishes are special, and that’s what makes Make-A-Wish so incredibly amazing,” he shared.

We can’t thank Roy enough for his dedication to making wishes come true! If you would like to join our volunteer family, sign up here.