Make A Wish Foundation

As many of you know, my oldest son, Peter, had a heart transplant in 2005.

He was born with a rare heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. The left side of his heart did not form properly and did not function. In a series of 3 surgeries the doctors rerouted his blood through the right side. The first 4 years of his life were nothing more than hospitals, doctors visits, medications and naps. At the age of 5 a heart transplant was necessary. we waited in the hospital for 3 FULL MONTHS hooked up to monitors and drugs to keep the heart pumping etc. Honestly the first 5 years of his life were not really a life for him. In the 2 1/2 years since his transplant he has really been able to do anything and everything he has always wanted to do. he can run, jump on the trampoline, play sports, go to school and more. He is finally having a normal life.

A few months back at a heart biopsy his cardiologist, Dr Robinson, asked if Peter had gotten his "wish" yet. I didnt know what he was talking about and he told me about Make A Wish. He said that Peter would qualify.

I thought Make A Wish was for kids who had terminal illnesses and Cancer and Lukemia and other diseases like that. It isn't.

He told me that it is for any child who has a medical issue that could be potentially life threatening. Plus with Peters history and past hospital life and past medical history he is 100% deserving.

He said kids that spend a lot of time in the hospital, have medical hardships etc. This is their chance to go out and finally have a normal day and spend time with their families and make up for lost time.

They can go somewhere(WDW being the #1 wish of all time), meet their favorite celebrity or be someone for a day(fireman, policeman etc).

So, I submitted his name to Make a Wish and they called me to get the information. They sent paperwork to Dr Robinson, he filled it out. We were contacted Tuesday. He has been approved for a wish!!

The wish makers are coming on Wednesday to talk to Peter, give us all the paperwork etc.

Peter REALLY wants to go to Disney World in Orlando. So that is what he is wishing for.

Make a Wish kids get the hook up down there too! They treat them like royalty. They make their trip the greatest day in their lives. I am so excited for Peter.

I know that I love Disneyworld. My husband and I went there for our 10th anniversary and just had a blast. We are really excited to be able to take the kids. I know that Make a Wish is going to be able to make it so much more exciting than had it just been us going for a regular vacation. I know that Make a Wish will make it a dream come true for Peter.

Make a Wish started in 1980. The very first wish was a 7 year old boy with Lukemia. All he wanted to do was be a police officer. He had a day as a police officer. They custom tailored a uniform, he got the city tour , he was sworn in, got to take a motorcycle proficiency test to earn his wings. The next day he was back in the hospital. All he wanted to do was look at his uniform and hat and wings and remember his dream coming true. He passed away a day later. How much better his life was for having that day. That one very special day just for him. He was able to live a normal life and have his special wish come true before passing away.

Ever since then, it has been the mission of make a wish to help as many children as possible.

Since 1980, make a wish has sponsored over 162,000 worldwide dreams.

They now grant a wish every 40 minutes!

Make a wish relies on Donations from businesses and individuals. They have over 25,000 VOLUNTEERS helping with wish granting, fundraising and special assistance.

78% of funds is used towards wishes. 8% goes towards management and paid workers and the remaining 14% goes towards advertising and fundraising.

Make a Wish is a really great non profit charity. To see how you can help, visit http://www.wish.org/.

You can donate money, you can sponser a wish, you can donate frequent flier miles, tangible goods and items and more. Some companies will match their employees monetary donations to Make a Wish as well. You can even shop online for items relating directly to wishes:

http://www.shop.com/wishgranter-a.shtml?sourceid=597

I am really grateful to Make A Wish. They are a wonderful non profit organization to donate to, and such a worthy cause.