On December 31st, 2020 after experiencing a fever that she just couldn’t kick, Anja was admitted to Children’s and a parent’s worst fear was realized – liver cancer! Throughout her treatments, Anja experienced some bumps in the road with complications that required more surgeries than originally expected. It also meant many, many long days of […]
David’s mom was five months pregnant when she learned that the baby she was carrying would be born with an extremely complicated heart defect. She knew, before she was able to hold him in her arms, that he would require three heart surgeries. His first one was when he was 6 months old and that
Our goal at Wishes & More is to grant, to the biggest extent possible, the heartfelt wish of a child. One of the most challenging wishes to grant is a “Wish to Meet” opportunity because we have to rely completely on the person the wish child requests to meet. Aaliyah’s wish was to meet a
People from all over the world come to our very own Mayo Clinic in Rochester to receive top-notch treatment. Our precious little wish child is one of them. Four year old Marie-Martins came from Nigeria to receive her treatments for Pineal Blastoma (a brain tumor). Not only is she undergoing traumatic and intense treatments, she’s
Thanksgiving wasn’t the same for many people this year; for Karson, it was VERY different as he spent it in anticipation of his Wish Day on FRIDAY! This six-year-old struggles with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, chiari malformation, and neurogenic bowel & bladder (inability to control,) and yet this bundle of energy doesn’t let any of these difficulties slow
This past Easter, shortly after her 17th birthday, Paige came down with a severely high fever accompanied by a sore throat, stiff neck, and upset stomach. Oh no – COVID-19! No, that test came up negative. Mono? Strep? – also negative. Doctors continued testing, and to everyone’s surprise and dismay, cancer was the official diagnosis.
Some people show their grit and potential success at a very young age. But at six weeks old?? When Sam was an infant, his parents learned that he suffered from a Congenital Heart Disorder and his lifelong battle began. Surgeries were scheduled and hospital stays became a normal part of his life. Thankfully, he’s been
At eighteen-months-old, Audrey appeared to be a healthy little girl and she was a bundle of energy and smiles. She was growing, learning and eating well, but her parents were concerned because her abdomen appeared to be abnormally large. They consulted with her doctor and an ultrasound was recommended. After a very anxious wait, the
Baby Cassidy was diagnosed with Krabbe Disease at five-months-old. This genetic nervous system disorder has a multitude of symptoms and while Mom & Dad were overwhelmed by the initial diagnosis, they were extremely concerned with the day-to-day changes they were seeing in their sweet baby girl. This family from Montevideo is very close to their
Jeremy was born with a very serious and debilitating condition where large portions of his spine were missing. These deformities have led to other serious difficulties with eating, breathing, fluid on the brain, among others. He has never been too far from a hospital stay and his wish was to spend more time outdoors. Sounds
Linae struggles daily with a serious and incurable condition caused by damage to her mitochondria. The condition restricts her to a wheelchair, but certainly doesn’t slow her down! Recently, through her own focus and hard work, this very intelligent young lady has found a love for astrophysics and quantum mechanics and her wish revolved around
Kaylee is a one-year-old from Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Kaylee suffers from a brain infection which causes fluid to build up on her brain. The fluids are drained by frequent surgeries. Kaylee is receiving a very unique wish, she is being recognized. When Wishes & More met with her parents, they had a few ideas. Ultimately,
Brittni is a 17-year -old young lady from Geneva, MN who’s fighting a life-threatening heart disease called Tetralogy of Fallot. She came to Wishes & More® in hopes of having her dream come true. Brittni is a huge Twins fan and, more importantly, a Joe Mauer fan. In March of 2008, Brittni’s wish to go
When Sarah was approved for a wish from Wishes & More®, she knew she wanted to use the opportunity in a unique way. She is an inspiring and strong young woman with an amazing outlook on life. Sarah is a 17-years-old who lives with hydrocephalus, a condition where the spinal fluid becomes trapped in the
Keith is a very nice young man from Albert Lea who has been battling Autoimmune hepatitis. He has also recently been diagnosed with Lymphoma and is waiting to receive his treatment protocol. He has been unable to participate in a lot of sports and activities due to his illness but Keith loves cars, especially Mustangs!
Seven-year-old Cali was born with a severe condition that causes her to suffer from hundreds of seizures each and every day. Cali shared with our Wish Wizards her dream of taking horseback lessons and also about her love of mermaids. Wishes & More® was thrilled to make this sweet girl’s wish come true – she is taking
Aimee Jo is 17-years-old and a member of the Totino Grace High School Show Choir. She was diligently preparing for the competition season when she began to feel ill, and by January she was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer and was immediately brought into surgery. During her recovery she began chemo treatments and lost her hair,
In the beginning of August 2011, Matthew began feeling overly tired and ill, so he went in for what he thought was mono. Unexpectedly, it was cancer – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. From that point, Matthew had to return to Children’s hospital on a weekly basis for chemotherapy. Matthew showed his strength and determination and completed
Since birth, Noah has suffered from development delays and a disorder causing chronic seizures requiring brain surgery and a cocktail of medications. Debilitating side effects have included chronic pneumonia, which sometimes necessitates a ventilator and feeding tube. Despite this, Noah is a “sweet, funny guy” who enjoys reading and going to school. His favorite pastime,
Fifteen-year-old Kelly from Sauk Centre, MN has Friedreich’s Ataxia, a rare inherited disease that causes nervous system damage and movement problems. This condition does not inhibit her passion for hunting and the outdoors. Kelly, nicknamed Buggy, was surprised with a 3-day hunting trip in the Golden Triangle with her role model Melissa, who stars in
Julia’s interest in the American Revolution began when she was five-years-old and received her American Girl doll during one of her many, lengthy hospital stays due to her double outlet right ventricle heart defect. She now has gotten her fill of historic places as she visited Colonial Williamsburg and more! She and her family spent
Trucks, tractors, diggers and all big equipment vehicles fall on Ronan’s list of his favorite things. At age three, Ronan struggles with high-risk neuroblastoma, but this never holds him back from being an excitable little boy! On his wish day, Ronan experienced more than he could ever imagine. He was whisked away for a day
15-year-old Joseph coping with the rare neurological condition, Moebius Syndrome, packed his bags and hit the road for his wish! He and his family went north to Brainerd for a fun filled weekend adventure at Camp Confidence! Camp Confidence specializes in providing unique, hands-on learning experiences for persons with developmental disabilities. Joseph spent his weekend
