Make-A-Wish For Magnus

 A couple months ago Make-a-Wish foundation called me up and said that Magnus had been referred to them by his radiation oncologist. They told us that he qualified to have a wish! They gave us some parameters and told us they would be sending an info packet and assigning some wish granters to our case. They told us to have him be thinking of what he would like to wish for.

It was very exciting and when we talked to him about it he didn't really understand. When I first told him he could wish for anything he wanted he thought about it for a minute and then said, "I want to go to Discovery Gateway museum!" That gave Andy and me a good chuckle. We told him to think bigger and gave him some ideas like a play set in our backyard, a vacation, or a something else he had been thinking of. He thought for a little bit longer and then his face lit up and he said, "I want to go on the big boat with a waterslide that I saw on TV!" After a little investigating we realized he had been talking about a Disney Cruise. So that was his plan.

After some orchestrating and talking a lot with his wish granters, we were able to have a Wish Declaration Party at the Make-a-Wish location right here in Murray. We invited our families and those who could come did. We had root beer floats and I signed A LOT of papers. We had to give some other choices for wishes in case the board didn't approve the Disney Cruise. Magnus also has to be cleared by his doctors before a trip can take place. 

Coming into the Make-a-Wish building and getting to see Magnus' name on the star...

Eating our refreshments

After I finished with all of the papaerwork and all of the treats had been eaten and everyone had arrived, we went into the lobby and we were able to hear how Make-a-Wish came to be. They told us all about the history and about some of the wishes that kids had made over the years. It was all very touching and I had a really hard time not being an emotional wreck. I was choking back tears the entire time. I mean, what a wonderful thing for sick kids. It's just amazing, really.

 After we were finished downstairs we went up to the wishing tower. Magnus had been given a special key to open the tower door, but before we went in we all sat down and everyone who was there was able to write a wish for Magnus, any wish at all. While we did that Magnus wrote out his wish and put it into a special tube that he would send to The Wishing Wizard.

 After he put the lid on, it was time for him to take it into the wishing room. He carefully walked over to the tower with his wish in one hand and his special key in the other.

 That is one of his wish granters, Joe.

 Turning the lock...

 Opening the door...

 Inside this colorful room (that continued to change colors the entire time we were in there) there was a magical waterfall (that stopped working, darn it! But they promised it would be fixed the next time we came back), and some twinkling music. The wishing wizard's drop off location is that cone-looking thing in front of the waterfall. That is where Magnus would put his tube with his wish tucked inside.

 He walked in and was supposed to follow the lights and wait while everyone else came in.

 I recorded the next part, but I won't post it on here. After everyone came into the wishing room we all gathered around M and we got to tell him the wishes we had written down for him. Some wishes were funny and some were sweet. Most made me cry and I was pretty much a mess by the time it came to me and I read him my wish. I wished that he would be able to see a cure for cancer come in his lifetime.

Then we took his tube with his wish inside and put it down into the cone for the Wishing Wizard to find and hopefully be able to grant his wish come true.

 Our wish granters told us about these custom glass stars that are hanging from the ceiling in the lobby. Every child that has a wish granted from that location gets a Star-Raising party and they get to put up their very own star. Look at all of the wishes that have come true! Magnus will get to have his own party after his wish is granted.

 It was such a fun and magical night and we feel so privileged to be be able to have a wish granted for Magnus. He is so excited!