STORIES OF HOPE, STRENGTH AND JOY
WISH
WISH INSPIRES HOPE FOR ADDY’S FUTURE If you ask Addy what she wants to be when she grows up, she’ll say an astronaut and a doctor, and then run to her room to show you her space suit and stethoscope. “She won’t take off that space suit,” laughs her mom.
Addy, 6 · Keizer Illness: Wilms’ tumor I wish to go to Kennedy Space Center
The space suit was a gift from her volunteer wish granters to prepare her for her wish to go to Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Addy’s love for outer space started when a friend sent her a get-well package that included a book about space and a rocket-shaped tent. Her mom said the wish experience not only was a dream-come-true for Addy, it gave back some of the childhood that she had missed from being sick. In the past year, Addy has endured four surgeries, hospital stays and countless treatments. The hardest part for her parents was seeing her separated from her little brother, Henry, for long periods of time. Henry would walk around the house saying, “where’s Addy?” The Make-A-Wish® trip gave them a chance to play together again – from going down a giant slide at NASA to pretending to push buttons at mission control. It also gave the family hope for Addy’s future. “Just being able to see all that opened her eyes to so much in the world - for her to see and do. She can be anything she wants.”
YES, TRISTAN, IT’S YOURS TO TAKE HOME At first, Tristan thought it was just a party where he got to ride on a mini-train and play with railroad crossing signs. When he realized the signs were going home with him, his mom said he was so excited that he “freaked out.” Six-year-old Tristan loves railroads and is awed by the sounds and movements of crossing signs, so his wish granters made sure that his wish to have his own railroad crossing signs actually sound and move like real ones. “To see others love my son enough to want to pull this off was so amazing,” said Tristan’s mom, Amy.
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