My Wish

A few weeks ago, my family had the opportunity to drive up to Make A Wish in Murray to support my little brother, Asa, as he officially made his wish.

For those of you that don't know, Asa, who is the youngest of the 10 siblings, has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. In a nut shell, his muscles are deteriorating from the limbs inward. He has been completely wheelchair bound for the last year or two and in the last few months, he has lost considerable strength in his arms. He can now only lift them a few inches. Most people who suffer from MD die from heart or lung complications. And although MD is pretty much always fatal (unless the Second Coming happens first) the length of life varies from child to child (teens to 30s). Asa is turning 13 next month and is still thriving. He has a great little motorized scooter that allows him to continue as close to a normal life as possible. He is a smart boy who loves to read, play the Wii, and hang out with friends.

We really didn't know what to expect from our trip to Make A Wish, but it turned out to be an amazing experience.

We met with two wonderful women who gave us a tour of the facility and taught us a little about the foundation. (One of the women was actually in the group that went into Kazakstan after my parents to adopt. How cool is that?!) We were able to wander around and look at pictures of children and their stories. They even have a giant wish board where they post the pictures of children and their wishes that are waiting to be granted. Some take longer than others - like kids that want to meet movie stars or athletes. It is incredibly humbling to stand in front of that board and look at so many wonder and deserving children.

As part of the tour we were all given a wishing token which we could either keep or toss in the wishing pool out side. As a family we walked out to the pool and one by one tossed our coins into the water.

After that we went upstairs and gathered around to answer some questions about little Asa. Just fun trivia things that I think they may use to spotlight him when they grant his wish. We were then each given a piece of paper to write a wish we had for Asa. It could be realistic or totally out of this world - it didn't matter. Asa also wrote down his official wish. He asked for voice recognition software and an iPad 4g. Since this was technically two wishes and they can only grant one, they decided to make his wish a "shopping spree" and then he can get as much as he wants with the money they give him. It's not a standard amount. It depends on the child, their age, abilities, and other factors. Asa took his slip of paper and put it in a metal cyclinder tube.

The woman giving the tour then asked Asa if he brought his special key. Each Make A Wish child is given a skeleton key (the old school cool ones) that opens the Wish Room. Asa pulled his out and went over to the door. With a little help from mom (since he couldn't lift his arm high enough) he got the door open.

Inside was very... magical. Peaceful. Beautiful. It reminded me of being inside a lighthouse (even though I have never been in one.) The room was circular with glass tile flooring which allowed for soft glowing lights to shine up through the glass and onto the walls. The colors would change periodically from blue, green, orange, yellow, and others in between. About 2/3rds of the way back through the room there was an opaque waterfall with plenty of room to walk around behind. I think I could have stayed in that room for a long time. It was very tranquil.

Once the whole family was inside, we went around the room each reading the wish we put down on our card. I had no creativity when it came to mine and stuck with a very basic, but honest wish - That he would have a long, happy, health life filled with family and friends that love and care about him. And of course I blubbered like a baby when I read it. I hadn't meant to, but the reality of that wish got the better of me. I saw Asa nod his head in agreement as I read it. The other wishes ranged from hot air balloons and catching the biggest fish ever, to getting a handicap accessible bathroom on the main floor so mom won't have to sponge bathe him on the toilet anymore.

At last it was Asa's turn to submit his official wish. The assistants asked if Asa could see anywhere his cylinder might go. Just in front of the waterfall was what looked like a metal caution cone - top chopped off with a hole in the top. That was for the cylinder. Once Asa slid it in place, they asked him if it looked complete, or if he might be able to find something in the room to go on top of the cone. He drove around the waterfall and found an upside down cone that looked like it would fit on top. With some help, they were able to lift the cone from its holder and help Asa place it on top of the bigger cone.

Once complete, they told us that it was a wizard's hat and that Asa had just officially submitted his wish to the Wishing Wizard and that when the wizard had decided if he could grant his wish, he would tell his helpers, and the helpers could tell my mom and dad. It was very cute. I also thought it was cool because once the cap was on the hat and the wish submitted, the lights grew bright and cheery. It may have just been excellent timing in the rotating lights, but it was pretty neat.

(The Knight envelope he is holding has all our wishes in it.)

We filed back out of the room where they gave Asa a bunch of presents including a hat, blanket, teddy bear, and other fun things. They also had fresh baked cookies to eat while mom and dad filled out paperwork.

Just before it was time to leave, they told us they had a special surpise but that we would have to be really quite. A man came up the stairs with a huge, beautiful hawk. They were coming as part of another child's wish granting ceremony, but since they had a few minutes to spare, they came upstairs and let us have a peek. It was really cool.

Since Asa's wish is much more simple than many other requests, they guessed that we would be able to have his wish granting ceremony around his birthday. They would have loved to have done it on his acutal birthday, but that's a Friday and half the family works. So the goal is the day after. It sounds like it is a great celebration with family and friends. They give each child a scrapbook page or two on the day of their party where everyone can write a note to them or put in pictures.

But the thing I am most excited about is the star raising. Each child has a unique stained glass star that has their name on it. Once their wish has been granted they are able to help literally raise their star to the ceiling with the help of a pully system. There are already hundreds of starts lining the ceiling in a rainbow milkway figuration. It is so beautiful and so symbolic. I can't wait!

We heard just a few days ago that the Wishing Wizard did grant Asa's wish, so we are set for the great celebration in about a month. It will be wonderful. I am so grateful for the Make A Wish Foundation and for incredible people who makes things like this happen. But beyond that, I am thankful for my parents. They are the most amazing people in the world! Little Asa couldn't have found better or more loving parents anywhere in the world. :)