Wesley's wish to have a playset with a swing and a slide
Wesley, 4, loves to be outside. Any time of day, any day of the week, he would rather be outside than inside.
Which is how his grandmother knew that a playset in the backyard would be the perfect wish for him post kidney transplant.
“Wesley was diagnosed with Stage 5 Kidney Disease when he was nine months old and has had 12 hours of daily dialysis ever since,” said his grandmother, Carol. “When his nurses and social workers suggested Make-A-Wish, they did it because they believed it would bring him happiness after such a long, tough time.”
Wesley has lived with his grandparents since his mother died shortly after his birth. Carol says that he is a loving and active kid, always wanting to be around other people.
His kidney disease and then the pandemic made it hard for him because he couldn’t go to his favorite place – the playground.
We talked about what a wish meant and he understood what it meant to hope for something.
Carol
Wesley's grandmother
“Wesley is immune-compromised so even before COVID, we were often restricted to the hospital, our house and our backyard,” said Carol. “When the pandemic hit, we had to be extra careful even going to the hospital for treatments and blood tests.”
Make-A-Wish spoke with Wesley and his grandparents about his playset, and one thing came up more often than anything else – swings and a slide.
“We were surprised by how easy the process was and how attentive everyone was to Wesley and our family. On the day the playset was built, he watched from the window and would not leave until they were done. He couldn’t wait to go on it.”
Carol said the wish did not just bring happiness for Wesley, but for the whole family.
“Now he has a space where he can play all day with the family, be busy and never stop,” said Carol. “It was like this wish was made just for him and that thought uplifts us all.”