Walk for Wishes Wednesday

     The Make - A - Wish Walk for Wishes is happening this summer so I thought I'd start getting ready now.   Every Wednesday from now until June I am going to share some of our wish story.   If you know our family you may have heard some of these stories.   My hope is that you read them again and share in our memories. I also would like for you to share these stories and this blog with your friends,  family, coworkers,  and anyone you can think of. I can never repay Make - A - Wish for the gift they gave us but I can raise awareness for what they do and help raise money to help grant other children's wishes.   The average wish costs more than $6,000 and wish families are never asked to pay for anything.   I ask that you search your heart and your wallets to help their cause.
    Before we get into our trip let me set the stage for you.  Back in the beginning of 2010, Maddie was approaching her 10th birthday.  That was 10 more birthdays than the doctors said she would ever have.  She had been getting sick pretty frequently and it was becoming very difficult to bottle feed her.  Our pediatrician suggested that it was time to consider a feeding tube.  This was like a kick to the gut for us, a HUGE kick to the gut from a Colts linebacker sized man.  Maddie had done so well for so long a feeding tube felt like we were somehow failing her.  It felt like she was slipping a little bit and that was scary.   It would mean major surgery  and all the risks that come with that. We spent a month or more visiting with the surgeon and having every test imaginable.   We got know the radiology department so well at Kosair Children's hospital that they greeted us with our first names and a kind hug.  During all of the crazy hospital visits I was introduced to Make-A-Wish by one of our new found radiology friends. I looked at their website and filled out the wish recommendation form, expecting nothing to come from it. We decided to go ahead with the feeding tube surgery the beginning of March 2010, again with lots of mixed emotions.  Maddie had her surgery and all went well.  We spent several miserable days in the hospital while Maddie recovered and we learned how to feed her through her new tube. While setting in that sad little hospital room, wallowing in what I saw as my failure as a mother, my phone rang.  When I answered it I was surprised to hear that it was a lady from Make - A - Wish and they wanted to grant Maddie a wish.  I was blown away.  What perfect timing.   We talked about some details and she said that our wish granters would be in touch so start thinking of what Maddie would like.    Fred and I tossed around several wish ideas that we thought Maddie would enjoy and we settled on a trip to Disney. Disney was Maddie's favorite place in the world.
    What we didn't know at the time and have only realized recently is that knowledge of the wish to come helped us get through that emotionally difficult time.  We had something to look forward to.  We had something to keep Maddie healthy for.  We had something to focus on rather than feel sad that our daughter might be slipping away from us.  That's what Make-A-Wish does, they give families of sick kids hope.
    Want to know more about our wish story?  Come back next Wednesday.  Want to know more about how you can help Make-A-Wish?   Feel free to find me on Facebook and I'll happily share with you some ways you can help.