Steven Grange's battle
with cancer...at 16.

See the attached PDF...
Steven_Grange_Battle_with_Cancer

Robbie

Robbie's going to Disney World
http://www.liherald.com/detail.html?sub_id=22094

Adam

by Philip Lyons

Sometime for a brief period of time something special happens in your life. For the Georgia Chapter, Adam is that something special. Adam was a second wish child. He was 16 at the time and when his mother was approached by the hospital social worker about a wish, she said that she had never heard of a sick child getting a second wish. Then she was introduced to the Foundation. Adam’s wish was to go to New York and within two months everything was planned. He was going to see a baseball game, go to Time Square, visit the Statue of Liberty. His time is New York was going to be go, go, go. Shortly after receiving his wish package, Adam had to have one last check up before leaving. His check up revealed that his cancer had spread to his heart and lungs and he was unable to travel because of the pain. Adam had to take morphine shots and because of airport security, he would not have been able to bring his syringes on the plane. While Adam might not have been able to travel to New York, a little of New York came to Adam. Adam received many telephone calls and emails from New York personalities, including Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Adam died three weeks after he was to take his wish. While his wish might not have been able to be physically fulfilled, a little piece of the Big Apple was brought to Sylvester, Georgia and a large portion of our hearts remain with Adam and his family.

Grayson

by Philip Lyons

Grayson suffers from Muscular Dystrophy. His wish was far a vacation to Disney World with his family. While Grayson’s muscles might be failing him because of his disease, his spirit and bright smile never fails. After completing his wish, Grayson remains part of the Foundation family, attending our annual holiday party and golf weekend. Members of the Foundation’s family from New York were so impressed with Grayson, that they flew him and his parents to New York and held a fundraising event on his behalf to help offset his medical bills. While his body may be bound to a wheelchair, his spirit soars high.

 

Henry

by Pam Pfarr

Henry is a 16 year old born with JAK3 SCID (sometimes called the "Boy in the Bubble syndrome) becoming ill with bouts of various infections that would result in lengthy hospital stays. He underwent a bone marrow transplant when he was 7months old with his sister as the donor. While he did develop immune function, he contracted viral meningitis just after transplant. He was left with an intractable seizure disorder and severe developmental delays. He cannot speak or walk independently. While the family has tried almost every neurological treatment, he has been unable to receive relief from his nearly constant seizures. In 2001, Make a Wish granted his first wish for a seizure alert dog, which provides appropriate alerting behaviors in response to a seizure event; in the best case scenario, provide alerting behaviors prior to manifestation of seizure symptoms. This dog provided friendship as well as being a protector of Henry in many ways . Just before Christmas of 2004, the dog escaped from their yard, ran directly into the path of an oncoming car and was killed instantly. Henry was devastated by the loss of his beloved pet, leaving a huge hole in his heart. Henry's wish was for another seizure alert dog. In partnership with another foundation, we were able to provide a new seizure alert dog for Henry, just in time for Christmas 2005!

Isabella

by Philip Lyons

Isabella is the Georgia Chapter’s princess. Her health battles began shortly after her birth and she has had numerous surgeries. Isabella came to the Foundation when Phil was coaching her older brother in T-ball. After meeting the family and discussing the Foundation, her parents told Phil that they would get back to him. Like many parents who are not in financial need, they did not think it was right for them to accept a wish. After two years of working with her family, Isabella’s application was submitted. Isabella’s wish was to meet the Disney Princesses. During her trip to Disney World, Isabella’s dream came true and our princess met Disney’s Princesses. Now, when ever Isabella sees Phil, whom she now calls the “wish man” she smiles brightly. Isabella faces more surgeries but hopefully with continued prayers and progress, someday our princess will find her prince.

Javari

by Pam Pfarr

Javari is a one and a half year old boy diagnosed with a rare disorder that causes ataxia as well as the development of tumors and possibly infected with encephalitis. He was scheduled to begin a new protocol of experimental medication in Chicago . His social worker contacted The Foundation seeking assistance in providing airfare for Javari and his mother. Although he is under the age of three, the Foundation's Executive Board unanimously approved this wish..stating, "this is what sets us apart from other organizations." Javari 's mother thanked us for our helping hands by arranging flights to and from Chicago . She reports that " Javari is doing very well! He is crawling everywhere.we haven't seen him crawl since before he got sick. The treatment worked!" This wasn't our "typical wish" meaning, sending a family to Give Kids the World, go on a shopping spree, or receiving a computer.however, by the providing airfare, Javari received treatment which will enable the family to hopefully make many more happy memories in the years to come!

 

Latica

by Pam Pfarr

Latica, 13 year old girl, was diagnosed with ALL (leukemia), relapsing after she underwent a bone marrow transplant in May of 2004. Latica's original wish was to visit California with her family. However, Latica's health was rapidly deteriorating rapidly, having been admitted to the hospital for pain management treatment. On a Friday afternoon, Latica's social worker called to tell us that Latica changed her wish request to travel to Indiana to visit her extended family as well as to get baptized before she passes away. The next day, Latica, her parents, and her three siblings were on a plane to Indiana . As heartbreaking as it was to hear what Latica would like as her wish.realizing that she will never experience the joys of being a teenager and all that life has to offer, it was an awe inspiring learning experience to see a 13 year old child make peace with herself by accomplishing one last goal in her short life.

 

Leah

by Philip Lyons

Leah had a love for music and for Corgi puppies. Her parents were high school teachers at the local high school in Brunswick. Leah’s father was the band director and died of cancer when she was 12. Leah developed cancer at 16 years old and battled hard to overcome her illness for two years. Throughout her ordeal, she always kept a song in her heart. Near the end of her fight, the Foundation was made aware that Leah had never received a wish. Within two weeks, Leah’s wish for a laptop computer and a Corgi puppy was granted. She named her puppy General Pierre Gustave Toutant de Beauregard, named after the Civil War General. Leah was only part of the Foundation for a short time. A month after receiving her wish, Leah had told her mother that she was ready to see her father again and her life support machines were turned off. General Beauregard sat at her side as Leah’s family and friends prayed for a peaceful end. Cancer may have taken Leah physically from us, but forever will we have a song in our hearts for this special young lady.

 

Michael

by Maureen McElaney

Michael is a 13 year old boy who wished for a shopping spree, a simple wish but as all wishes it was inspirational. Michael is very ill, in acute renal failure, congestive heart failure and had to go on a dialysis machine every night for 10 hours. He would get so weak he could not walk for more then a few steps. His mom is deceased and his sister is also sick. His sister has 2 children whose grandmother-a wonderful woman-who agreed to be his guardian to make sure he got the proper medical care and followed a special diet for people on dialysis. I brought my 13 year old son along to help out. I can't help but think how fortunate I was to have a healthy son. He helped carry the shopping bags and we took turns pushing Michael around in his wheelchair. It was fun for everyone helping Michael look for the things that he was looking for. It was very important to him to have just the right clothes.a winter jacket with fur around the hood and a cap that matched the color of his sneakers. He looked long and hard to find just the right cap. Part of his wish was also that he buys some things for his family. It was very important to him and he made sure he took care of that before he started to shop for himself. He bought a pair of shoes for his niece and nephew first and then his guardian. Michael is only allowed to eat regular food 2 days a week. For lunch, he wanted a McDonald's cheeseburger but he decided to eat at Bennigans because that's where everyone else really wanted to eat. It inspired me that as sick as he was, he was always thinking of others. The family had alot of fun riding in the limo too. It was a big SUV style limo and the limo driver stopped and filled it with some balloons on the way to pick them up. All in all it was a fun day, and although I was happy to be part of it, I also felt sad thinking that this cute, kind hearted young boy may not be around much longer. One other thing that touched me was, at lunch, his cousin was talking about what he wants to be when he grows up and asked Michael what he wants to be when he grows up. Michael said, "I don't know." I thought to myself how sad and that he knows he probably is not going to grow up. It makes me realize how we take sooooo much for granted in this life. While you can't help the sadness-at the same time, there is the joy at making someone's life improve, helping them to enjoy the time they have, having some fun, eating real food, and getting some nice clothes to keep him warm for the winter.and hopefully more winters to come. His guardian was very appreciative for what we did. She surely has her hands full and cares for this boy and the other children with so much love. You can see they are well taken care of with what they have. Coordinating Michael's wish was a rewarding and enriching experience. By being part of the day that was centered on him and, with his mom deceased, I felt like his mom for the day. It made me realize that some kids have so little and the smallest things make them happy. It also made me realize how we take things for granted: our health, our material possessions and how much we give our own children. I thought this 13 year boy, just like my son, would want to buy video games and CDs and stuff like that but he bought boots, hats, shoes and winter jacket for himself and shoes for his niece, nephew and cousin.basic necessities of life. That really struck me for some reason and left such an impression.

Tim

by Pam Pfarr

From the time Tim was a little boy, imaginative play was his favorite thing to do. He is a huge fan of Steven Spielberg. His neighbors always knew he was outside when they heard the soundtrack of "Indiana Jones" or " Jurassic Park ", being most happy when he was writing a "movie" or recreating scenes from them by himself or with the neighborhood kids. At the end of 8 th grade, Tim was looking forward to high school and being able to enjoy the drama and film classes when he was diagnosed with ALL. His first year of treatment was incredibly intense, knowing he would have to wait until he was on 'maintenance treatment' before he could get started on his dreams. Although he is in remission he suffered more than his share of serious side effects from the treatment. The worst being a vascular necrosis of his hips, causing them to deteriorate, making it hard from him to remain mobile, also keeping him in pain most of the time. During this time, Tim's friends were preparing to learn how to drive. Unfortunately, due to the necrosis, Tim was not able to participate in this exciting rite of passage. The day came when Tim received a phone call that his wish has been granted; to meet Steven Spielberg! Tim and his older brother Greg were invited to spend the entire day on the set of the movie "War of the Worlds" in Bayonne , NJ . This was an amazing day for Tim, who not only spent quality time with Steven Spielberg, was also able to receive writing tips from screenwriter David Koepp (who wrote the scripts for Jurassic Park and War of the Worlds). David also gave Tim copies of some of the scripts he has written in the past. Tim was also surprised by meeting his favorite actor Tom Cruise who also gave him an IPod downloaded with all of Tim's favorite songs and a computer program about script writing! Tim was speechless! It was overwhelming to see the outpouring of kindness that was displayed by the entire cast and crew towards Tim. At the end of the day, Tim was greeted with another surprise, a hilarious surprise visit from comedian Chris Rock! This wish was a full year in the making.at the end of the day, seeing Tim grin from ear to ear made the entire wish coordination worth it!