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Last Wish Brightens Last Moments
| Article
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10230 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
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8 / 1986 |
3,427 Words |
| Author
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Ronda Miller
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What do you say to a small child who suffers from a life threatening illness?
For a Phoenix-based children's foundation, only three words are necessary: "Make a wish!"
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of America is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization with fifty-eight chapters nationwide. Under the direction of National President Mike Lewis of the Los Angeles Chapter, and Executive Director Linda Kaplan of the foundation headquarters in Phoenix, the foundation has granted favorite wishes to over 2,000 children experiencing catastrophic, life-threatening illnesses.
The entire family is included in each wish. No wish is too large. No child is turned away, and there is never any charge to the family.
The sole purpose of the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to provide joy and cherished memories to seriously ill children and their families. The only stipulation is that these children reach deep within their hearts to find their fondest wish or dearest dream.
For a child who may learn about death before he can learn his alphabet, a wish may mean a trip to Disneyland, or a ride on a fire engine, or seeing a cherished relative one more time. For a child in poverty, a favorite wish may extend to simply having a whole pack of bubble gum, or a more comfortable bed in which to sleep. Whatever the wish, each child is assured that his dream can and will come true, thanks to the behind-the-sense efforts of countless private and corporate benefactors and volunteers.
While the wishes themselves may vary, the children and families share a common quality: simple courage. This is why Make-A-Wish embraces the needs of the entire family unit in granting a favorite wish. Mother may be struggling to support the family while caring for her desperately ill child. Father may be juggling a full time job, his own heartbreak, and the needs of his loved ones. Should a sick child wish for a day at Disneyland (a standard favorite), Make-A-Wish is sure to provide Mom with a new dress, Dad with a paid day off, and each sibling with pocket money of his or her own.
What kind of person plays "good fairy" to children who have few days left in which to dream?
In 1980 that kind of person was a white-haired Texan with a gentle drawl named Tommy Austin. Austin was a U.S. customs officer in Phoenix, Arizona, when he helped make a dream come true for a small friend named Chris, who was suffering from leukemia.
Austin represented all the mystique and excitement of a shoot-em-up TV cop, and little Chris wanted nothing more than to be a highway patrolman when he grew up. If he grew up. Too small to realize his own impending mortality, Chris confided his future dreams to friend Tommy. Austin would pat the pre-schooler's sparse, blonde hair - thin from chemotherapy - and make wishes of his own.
Months later, Chris' condition grew worse in the course of a weekend. Tommy and two state troopers were determined that Chris would become a policeman before he died. In the brief span of six days, Tommy
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