Make a Wish Story

I was requested to write Jacob's Make a Wish Story including: how he came up with his wish? Does he still talk about it? Is there anything about Jacob's background or family life that contributed to his selection of his wish? Does Jacob have siblings? Does Jacob have any nicknames? etc.

This is what I submitted:

Jacob is our second son. He has lived in Southern California his

whole life. He has an older brother, a younger sister, and a baby

brother. We've always called him Jake, but as he's gotten older he

insists on being called Jacob. He usually spells out his full name on

his homework assignments and on the label tags of his personal items.

We adore our little Harry Potter fan who has always carried a wand or

light saber in his carefully crafted toolbelt. Jacob loves to create

things with Legos - he often assembles the models while ignoring the

instructions. He is sweet and sneaky. He may not talk to you because

he doesn't bother much with chit chat, but when he has something to

say it's usually worth listening to. He has evolved into a huge video

game fan and can list all the characteristics of hundreds of Pokemon.

I guess most parents have a huge list of why their kid is the best.

And in our little world, our Jacob is a one of a kind charmer, tease,

& friend. Our family wouldn't be what it is without him.

Just after Jacob's 8th birthday he was diagnosed with

rhabdomyosarcoma. Surgery, worry, treatment protocol, uncertainty,

hospitalization, and other testing proceeded immediately. School was

ready to begin. We set up home/hospital studies and transformed our

home into a germ-free zone. All of this took a great toll on him

physically, but what concerned us even more was the emotional burden

that the disease brought. So many worries, fears, and limitations on

one little boy all at once. We wanted him to have optimism to hold on

to. Something to look forward to. So we decided to meet with Make a

Wish during his treatment. When Jacob first heard his social worker

say that he could make a wish, he asked, "can I wish that I didn't

have cancer?"

Coming up with a wish was difficult for him. We met with kind

volunteers who asked Jacob many questions about his interests. When

she asked, "Jacob, what is your ultimate wish?" his answer was a blank

stare. He said nothing. The volunteer shared ideas of wishes that

other children his age had enjoyed. Essentially he just picked one

because they all sounded nice. Days after our meeting he started

making comments about different wishes - things that he had been

thinking about. We asked him, "what is YOUR ultimate wish?" He took

the process very seriously and said things like, "it's a really big

decision." Our volunteers were very understanding when we got back to

them to explain that Jacob wanted a chance to think it through some

more. Perhaps just thinking about it and planning his wish out in his

mind was therapeutic for him.

We talked with Jacob about the things he loves - swimming, staying at

hotels, being with his extended family in Utah, visiting theme parks,

etc. We talked about places he has never gone or people he has never

met but might want to. We talked about experiences that he hasn't had

and the possibility of trying them. Then Jacob's ultimate wish

evolved. He was hesitant to ask for it.

Jacob wished that he could visit DisneyWorld.

Why this wish? Disneyland in Anaheim holds very special memories for

our family. We would go there every Christmas season and enjoy the

lights, parade, & fireworks. Being annual passport holders was a gift

we tried to give our family over the years. It was a place we could

go to play and be together that was always special and magical. The

year Jacob was in treatment we had to avoid the crowds and use the

money for medical bills. We missed it. Jacob looked forward to

experiencing Disney Magic again. The idea of going to DisneyWorld to

experience the additional attractions in their multiple parks was

exciting. It was time to be away from the clinic, get out of our

house, and be together - laughing, playing, sharing.

We traveled on this trip of a lifetime in April 2009. Make a Wish

thought of all the details and found ways to make this time as

stress-free as possible. They arranged everything. They connected us

with Give Kids the World who provided accommodations for our family

and ticket options to various theme parks. Among several gifts, Jacob

received a large stuffed Mickey Mouse. On difficult days I find him

with his arms wrapped around this toy - holding on to the good

memories he had there.

In the Village where we stayed, Boston Market provided the food at

Annie's Kitchen. Jacob became a big fan of their chicken sandwiches.

Since we've been back home, we've enjoyed going to our local Boston

Market to order a taste of our Wish Trip.

After getting soaked on Splash Mountain, Jacob's brother said to him,

"Are you glad that you got cancer, so that we could come here?" Jacob

quickly replied, "no." No kid wants to get cancer or any other

illness. As parents we feel so grateful for such generous

organizations and businesses who gave of their time, talents, &

resources to ease the burden of our very difficult situation. Giving

us an experience to remember forever. Giving us every opportunity to

live, to laugh, to love, to cherish, and to remember.

We had a lot of adventures, but when he tallied up all the fun Jacob

decided that the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster was his favorite. It goes

from 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds. Jacob used to be more timid about fast

rides and coasters. But he felt especially brave and gave all the

rides a shot because this was his chance to try them out. He also

noted, "I had cancer, this ride can't be scarier than that."

Each day was filled with favorite moments. We took hundreds of

pictures. Jacob enjoyed using his disposable camera to capture some

of his favorites. We are creating a huge poster to hang in our home

with all the trip tidbits.

A bonus surprise for Jacob was that Make a Wish arranged a limo to

pick us up from the airport and drive us home. He was so excited to

pour sodas into tall glasses while driving. It was the perfect

finishing touch.

The whole wish turned out bigger and better than any one of us could

dream up. It was the perfect gift. Thoughtful and kind.

When I review Jacob's papers from school, I find little comments such

as: If you could go anywhere, where would you go? and he writes:

DisneyWorld.