I wish to have a playset

Sebastian

4

cancer

Sebastian standing with his playset

Sebastian's Wish 

Sebastian is your typical 4-year-old boy who loves Mickey Mouse, playing air hockey, and eating mac and cheese. In December 2019, his life was flipped upside down. Sebastian’s mother Yamilet took him to his doctor when he had cold symptoms. During the exam, his doctor discovered a lump in Sebastian’s stomach and sent him for an ultrasound. What started out as an innocent cold turned into something much worse; Sebastian was diagnosed with a rare childhood liver cancer in January 2020. Reflecting on Sebastian’s diagnosis, Yamilet described, “It’s hard. I have a good friend that had ovarian cancer so I knew what it entailed but back then in January we didn’t know what his chemo treatments would be. We didn’t know about his surgery that lasted six or seven hours. During the time you get a diagnosis, there’s a lot of uncertainty. You don’t know what’s going to happen.” It was during this time of uncertainty that Make-A-Wish stepped in to bring a sense of normalcy back to Sebastian’s life. After discussing possible ideas with his wish granters and family, Sebastian made up his mind. His mom shared, “We know Sebastian loves the outdoors; he loves to go to the playground and play outside. We showed him pictures of what he could choose, and he was really set on getting a playground.”

Kids are so resilient. It was really important for me to show him that all the bad stuff is gone and that he doesn’t have to worry about it.
Sebastian Smiling

With the help of his mother, Sebastian drew a picture of how he envisioned his playset. He wanted a green slide, a ladder, two swings, and a rock climb. The staff at Make-A-Wish worked with a local vendor to create the perfect playset for Sebastian. Sebastian watched with excitement in his eyes as his playground was assembled. After a hectic year of hospital visits and chemo treatments, his wish was finally coming true. “He was a trooper. Kids are so resilient. They don’t care, they just keep going and going and then they have a little hiccup and they just push through it. It was really important for me to show him that all the bad stuff is gone and that he doesn’t have to worry about it,” said Yamilet. Sebastian loves his new playset, so much so that he named it after his favorite food – Mac and Cheese. Even during the cold winter months, he is outside swinging and sliding and making the most of his new playground. The great news is that Sebastian is currently in remission and his swing set is a reminder of his strength and triumph over cancer.