High school commencement is a date to look forward to and remember, but not in the way it will be remembered by Ryla. Due to a genetic condition, this strong-willed young lady has dealt with benign tumors along her nerve lines all of her life. And for the last 11 years she has dealt with […]
The first thing people notice about nine-year-old Nevaeh is her infectious, bright, and beautiful smile. It rarely leaves her face, despite her daily struggles with a congenital brain malformation and severe seizure disorder. Nevaeh is nonverbal, uses a wheelchair, functions developmentally at a two-year-old level, and is surrounded by love! Nevaeh, and her 11 siblings, all have
Sharing stories of our memorial grants are always heartbreaking because each time the story ends with the passing of a child. However, Memorials gifts are an important service that we provide, and, to our knowledge, there is no other organization that provides these financial gifts to surviving parents. We also know that sharing the story
Four years ago, Edward was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 5. This diagnosis shrunk his world, which soon revolved around constant doctor visits and medical procedures. Throughout the pandemic, he and his family had to be very, very careful due to the lack of his immune system, so even leaving the house made
Layla was a senior in high school when she was brought to the ICU having experienced a seizure, partial paralysis and loss of speech. It took two agonizing months for doctors to ultimately confirm that she has a high-grade malignant glioma – brain cancer. She immediately underwent radiation and chemo while keeping up her schoolwork and
All things are not created equal for siblings and that goes for triplets as well. Victor, a triplet from Columbia Heights, was born with a rare syndrome called Polymicrogyria that, among other things, causes epileptic episodes. This sweet 10-year-old shares many things with his brothers, but fortunately they don’t share this diagnosis. As Victor has gotten
Little Agnes was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) when she was 19 months old and she also happens to have Mosaic Down Syndrome. According to her mom, her sweet, happy, loving disposition makes her a favorite of her doctors, nurses, and therapists and has helped her family have a positive outlook as they navigated her cancer
Laura was born with a congenital heart condition (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) that typically shows itself in the teen years and for Laura, it struck strong and quickly progressed at age 15. In April 2019, Laura had her first open heart surgery to lessen the thickness of the wall of her heart; however, two years later, she
A few days after Dahlia was born, her adoring parents learned that she had signs and symptoms consistent with a rare genetic condition called Walker Warburg Syndrome – a congenital muscular dystrophy and muscle eye brain disease. Surgeries, breathing tubes, numerous tests & pokes, therapies and countless meetings with doctors, nurses and specialists all became
Yahzdani, an impressive 18-year-old from St. Paul, missed a major portion of his senior year (August – December) in the hospital receiving treatments for cancer. This determined young man took it upon himself to keep up with his classes so he could graduate with his class. Consequently, we weren’t surprised when we learned that he has received
Five-year-old Piper from Savage has only one kidney and has struggled with its decline her whole life. Luckily, she has defied all expectations, even though her lone kidney was only functioning at 4-8% capacity! Finally, on St. Patrick’s day in 2021, Piper received a transplant; but sadly it hasn’t been the success they were hoping for
Ameil is a 14-year-old from Rosemount who has not only endured a kidney transplant, he is now battling post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD). While PTLD is rare, it is one of the most common post-transplant cancers. Additionally, last Fall, doctors adjusted a plate in his hip due to his congenital hip deterioration and there are talks
Superheroes with Super Kids are back at it again this Summer, helping us bring joy through their “MORE” opportunity for a few of our wish kids who love superheroes. To kick off our season of partnership, we thought a “Wish Reveal” at the Superhero Command Center was in order – and who better to tell
Just before the busy holiday season, Heather and Jake (an Active Army Reservist) took their youngest child of four to her routine 15-month checkup and asked the doctor to look at a lump on her abdomen that appeared to be growing. An ultrasound indicated that little Wynne had a Wilms Tumor in her left kidney.
Sixteen-year-old Tori from NW Wisconsin has been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In addition to cancer, she also has significant developmental delays, which has caused some major hardships in understanding & dealing with the symptoms and treatments for her serious diagnosis. When our volunteers met with her, she described her wish in detail – to go on
Mathew is an artistic and creative 16-year-old high school student from Hoffman, MN who absolutely loves attending theater shows and plays! Mathew was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) last year and when we met with him in September he was preparing for a bone marrow transplant that would require him to be in the
With Memorial Day upon us, we are incorporating a tribute to a wish child’s father within this wish story. Let’s begin by meeting Adelynn! This delightful, little four-year-old has managed to remain spunky, bright, and bubbly despite her remarkable challenges in dealing with serious neurological disorders and a chronic lung disease. As a result, she
This four-year-old’s diagnosis of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia was shocking and frightening for her whole family but now that she has completed treatments, her wish will provide her with endless joy and imaginative play, right in her own backyard. Grace’s wish was for a custom-designed playhouse perfectly decorated for a princess. Wishes & More provided
With sparkling blue eyes and brilliant red hair, this little guy captures the heart of everyone. And it’s heartbreaking to share that after 18-months of battling intractable epilepsy and a critical neurodevelopmental disorder, sweet Oliver passed away in March. In his short life, he faced many difficulties which he fought with the loving support from his
Cazen is a precocious young teen from Austin, MN who loves everything from hunting for fossils, metal detecting and panning for gold – to playing video games and having Nerf wars. Cazen has B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and throughout his treatment, he was able to put a lot of thought into his wish. He carefully
16-year-old Ashley, known for her playful sense of humor and love of dancing, was dealt a huge blow when she was diagnosed with a Diffuse Midline Glioma, an aggressive brain tumor. Her family – a particularly close knit set of five siblings and two remarkable parents – were shocked with the diagnosis and a daunting
Adeline was a brave little heart warrior with a big personality. She was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and fought every day like a brave heart warrior does. Sadly, she passed away before she could turn five. Adeline’s family will remember her as their princess that adored spending time with her sister and playing
Samy is incredibly strong, but it isn’t the kind of strength that comes from the gym. It’s a strength from within. He also has an abundance of grit and resilience from a battlefield that was a result of remarkably serious birth defects. This 19-year-old has endured more than we can imagine as a result of
Three-year-old Finn has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and, unfortunately, he has suffered damage to his liver as a side effect from his treatments. He has spent 1/3 of his life enduring chemo treatments and has had a hard time battling this illness. His parents informed our team that after spending so much time in the hospital, the entire
