Hope, Strength and Joy - One Wish at a Time

“I wish to be, I  wish  to  go,  I  wish  to  meet,  I  wish  to  have.”  These  are  the  magical  questions  in the  wish-making  process  that  have  guided  the granting of  more  than  1,700  wishes of children with  progressive,  degenerative,  or  malignant  life-threatening  medical  conditions  by Hudson  Valley Chapter of the Make-a-Wish Foundation . I  recently  had  the  privilege  of  attending  the  annual  Wish Gala,  and  took  few  moments  to  speak  with  Denise  D'Amico, Vice President of Program services, on  the  work  of  the  Foundation.

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"Each  child is guided in discovering their  wish  through  a  wish  game.  We  try  to  get  them  to
think  out  of  the  box  and  come  up  with  two  wishes,  and  through  the  process  of  elimination,
and  we  come  up  with  a  wish  to  be  granted,”  says  Denise  D’Amico.  A  dedicated  staff of eight,  along  with community volunteers,  and medical  professionals  keeps  an average  of  120 wishes, in the creative  works throughout the year. Planting  a  garden,  meeting  the  New  York Yankees, throwing a  party  for  medical  staff  who  helped  a  child  through  cancer  treatment - the  wishes  are  deeply  personal and unique to  each  child,  “Doctors  provide  the  medicine,  we  provide  the  magic,”  says D’Amico.  The  actual wish itself is  a  gift  to  a  child,  but  the wish process  is  also  equally powerful. “It  helps  children  and  their  families  to  focus  on  something  positive,  take  a  break  from  their illness,"  says  D’Amico,  “We  often  hear  from  wish  kids  later  on. They’ve  let  us  know  that  how pivotal their wish  experiences were in  their  life,  enabling  them  to  envision  a  future  beyond  their illness.” 

D’Amico  has  worked  at  Make-a-Wish  for  12  years  strong,  and  I  asked  her  what  keeps her inspired. “I  am energized by the wishes.  There are always new wishes: I  see how the wishes make  a  difference in giving the children and families the courage to fight on  through difficult odds,  and it inspires me to be a better person.”