Make-a-Wish reunion celebrates 30 years of wishes

It was the kind of summer Sunday you wish for: sunny but mild.

Perfect for the Make-a-Wish Kansas reunion celebrating 30 years of wish-granting.

About 150 families, volunteers, staff members and donors gathered for the reunion at the Fairfield Polo Club, 9400 S. Broadway in Haysville. They watched horses gallop up and down the field during polo matches, grilled burgers and enjoyed kids’ activities.

Make-a-Wish Kansas grants wishes of children ages 2 1/2 to 18 who have life-threatening medical conditions. The Kansas organization has granted 1,324 wishes since it was chartered in 1985, said Lisa Capps, interim executive director. The reunion was a chance for the organization to celebrate those wishes and thank families, volunteers and donors, she said.

Among those attending the reunion was Desmond McDonald, who was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in Feb. 2011, when he was 5. During treatments in a Kansas City hospital, where he underwent a bone marrow transplant using marrow donated by his younger sister, Emma, Desmond spend a lot of time building things with Legos. His wish was to visit Legoland in San Diego.

Make-a-Wish Kansas made it happen and took care of all the arrangements so the family had time to relax. The trip included visits to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo.

“At the time, we were so busy with treatments and keeping Desmond healthy, it would’ve been quite a chore to arrange all that,” said Desmond’s father, Matt.

“We’re just really thankful that an organization like this exists,” said Desmond’s mother, Jennifer. “When Desmond was going through his treatment, we knew that things were going to go well, but there were some challenging times. So it’s nice to be a part of an organization that really brightens his day,”

Desmond, 8, is now off all medications and restrictions. He said he’s feeling good.

Legoland was “pretty cool,” he said.

“There was a bunch of rides, and it just wouldn’t let you be bored,” Desmond said.

Melani Kliewer of Wichita helped a local high school student named Craig, who is battling a brain tumor, fulfill his wish to swim with sharks. She arranged a trip to an aquarium in Tacoma, Wash., that allows that sort of thing.

Wish granters determine a kid’s wishes, make arrangements for trips and other activities, find donors, present wish packets and arrange send-off parties.

“You invite others into the joy of that wish,” Kliewer said.

Craig’s wish was fulfilled in July. The trip included riding in antique cars – another of Craig’s interests – as well as a chance to shadow a zoologist and eat dinner at the Space Needle in Seattle.

Wish granters get their inspiration from the kids they help, Kliewer said.

“They go through things we cannot understand,” she said.

“We take them out of their daily routine of hospitals and medicine, and we give them not only the wish but something to look forward to. It kind of gives them a little hope,” Kliewer said.

She gets as much out of it as the kids.

“It makes me appreciate all my blessings. And it gives you a real sense of the strength of people. When you get that hug from the wish child and you watch that grin, oh, man, there’s nothing in the world like that,” Kliewer said.

This story was originally published September 7, 2014 at 6:43 PM with the headline "Make-a-Wish reunion celebrates 30 years of wishes."