![Jonathan's wish to have a violin comes true.](/sites/default/files/styles/hero_story_default_1x/public/2020-10/Jonathan_Then_Oregon_Violin.png?h=3618d392&itok=9GxYsv6s)
A Wish Brings Healing Beyond Medicine
“Everything else just kind of melted away,” said Jonathan. “Music gave me something to focus on.”
The 12-year-old dreamed of pursuing a career as a musician. But first, he would need his own violin.
“I had been renting one, but I knew how important it was to have my own.”
His heartfelt wish to have his own violin was fulfilled by Make-A-Wish® Oregon in 2005. From that moment on, anything was possible.
“After a truly harrowing ordeal of having cancer, Make-A-Wish paved the way for me to follow my dreams,” said Jonathan. “My entire journey as a musician began with the violin they gifted me.”
For many of our wish kids, a wish serves as a catalyst for better health, and can give the resilience needed to fight a critical illness. For Jonathan, it marked a path forward after cancer.
![Wish kid Jonathan](/sites/default/files/styles/story_image_full_default_1x/public/2020-09/Jonathan%20Now_2.png?h=026830cb&itok=_zFqfm_x)
“So many doors just started to open,” said Jonathan. “My violin is at the heart of it all.” Jonathan went on to receive numerous awards and accolades as a violinist. He played in the Oregon Symphony, and became the Assistant Conductor for the University of Oregon Symphony where he also earned his master’s degree.
Now, 15 years later and cancer-free, Jonathan is the conductor of the Willamette Valley Junior Honors Symphony where he strives to inspire a generation of future musicians. To this day, he plays the same violin he was gifted by Make-A-Wish.
“This violin shaped who I am today as a person, a musician, as a conductor. It led me to my fiancé, to grad school to really everywhere I’ve been,” said Jonathan. “I will hold on to it forever, until I pass it on to my children.”
Wishes like Jonathan's are waiting. Help grant more wishes today, tomorrow and forever by donating today.