My name is Nadene, and I was diagnosed with cancer when I was 17 years old.

I remember there being days when I couldn’t even get out of bed because of the pain. When I was undergoing chemotherapy, I had to rely on a wheelchair to get around. I quickly realized just how challenging day-to-day life can be for people with disabilities.

Then, one day when my mom was scrolling through social media, she showed me a picture of her friend and her son, who is in a wheelchair. They were in an indoor pool, and I asked my mom why they weren’t at the beach on such a nice day. She told me that there was no way for them to access the water. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do with my wish.

I let Make-A-Wish® know that my wish was to give Indiana Dunes State Park a wheelchair accessible beach path. The coolest part is that my community came together and actually expanded on my wish – installing multiple paths from the sand to the water at the park.

Going through cancer, going through chemo, was worth it to make other people happy, let other people enjoy the beach and enjoy good lives. Now that I have the ramp built, it’s going to be so much easier for people to go sit by the water.

There are so many other kids like me – families and communities like mine – who are waiting to be forever changed by their own wish experience. So today, I hope you’ll help provide other kids the same hope, joy and strength that I found in my wish:

Will you please make a donation now to grant more wishes for waiting wish kids? The impact of your support really will change lives.

Thank you,

Nadene Amouri
Wish Kid