(Originally
appeared in the July 1, 2004 edition of the Century City News)
It all started with the wish of a seven-year-old boy with
leukemia named Chris, who wanted to be an Arizona State Trooper. Pretty soon Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters
were being founded all over the United States including the one that started in
1983 to serve the children of Los Angeles County.
Today the Greater Los Angeles chapter has granted over 5,000
wishes of the more than 127,000 that have been granted worldwide. While many people still think of the
Make-A-Wish Foundation as a charity that provides children a “final” wish, the
good news is that many children continue to survive long after their wish has
been received and their treatments are finished.
Recently, the chapter granted a wish for nine-year
old Eduardo of Downey, who has had to endure five surgeries and chemotherapy in
his battle against rhabdomyosarcoma.
Since the boy’s ultimate dream is to become an airplane engineer,
visiting the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. was what he
selected for his one most heartfelt wish.
Eduardo’s wish experience began in grand
style as a stretch Hummer picked his entire family up at home and took them to
the Long Beach airport, courtesy of Flight Centre, the sponsor of Eduardo’s
wish. The family was then greeted with a
huge breakfast send-off party in Eduardo’s honor at The Prop Room restaurant in
the terminal. Members of Flight Centre, Jetblue crewmembers, airport staff, and
Make-A-Wish staff and volunteers were all present to witness this special
event.
Eduardo and his brothers watched the
airplanes take off and land from the window of the restaurant and everyone at
the party could see he enjoyed every minute of being so close to the planes.
Eduardo’s eyes grew wide with excitement when a member of the Jetblue crew
offered to take him for a tour around the terminal and the planes sitting on
the tarmac. When it was time for his final departure, Eduardo raced toward the
gate, filled with excitement at the thought of being able to fly on an airplane
for several hours.
When they arrived in Washington D.C., Eduardo spent one
full day of his trip at the National Air & Space Museum, learning all about
his favorite subject of flight technology. Eduardo was also treated to a VIP
tour of the White House and visited many other famous D.C. attractions. When
asked to describe the trip, Eduardo and his family needed only one word,
“Amazing!”
While Eduardo returned home from
his wish trip to face another surgery and additional treatment, no one doubts
that the “boost” his wish provided will help the future engineer continue his
heroic battle against his illness, as wishes have done for so many other
children here in Los Angeles, and around the world through the years.
To find out how you can help the
Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles grant more wishes for children
like Eduardo, go to www.wishla.org or call
310-788-9474.
With the continued support of donors and
volunteers, Make-A-Wish Foundation will be able to continue granting wishes for
children under the age of 18 with life-threatening medical conditions for years
to come. After granting their first wish
many volunteers tell us it is the most uplifting experience they could ever
imagine. There is a four-hour training
for potential wish granting volunteers from across Los Angeles County coming up
this Saturday morning, July 17 at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. Call 310-788-9474 or e-mail Kim Rohde at krohde@wishla.org if you would like to
support the Make-A-Wish Foundation by learning how to help grant wishes for
children like Eduardo.
