The instant that my 5-year-old son Pierce’s doctor said the word “cancer,” life as our family knew it was shattered.

After receiving his diagnosis, Pierce spent 118 days in the hospital, where he endured nearly 20 surgeries, more than a dozen blood transfusions and a bone marrow transplant. As I spent my time at his bedside with our newborn, my daughter Sierra was left heartbroken at home without me, Pierce or her new baby sister.

Even after Pierce was finally discharged, we were all constantly worried. Would his body reject the bone marrow transplant? Would he have a bad reaction to his medication? We just wanted to feel joy again. When Make-A-Wish® came into our lives, they gave us the chance to feel exactly that: normalcy and togetherness amid so much uncertainty.

Pierce’s wish to go to his favorite theme park helped our family break through the daily fears his illness caused and gave us something to look forward to: the ability to just have fun together. Even my daughter Sierra considered her brother’s wish experience to be the best day of her life, and I know that none of it would have been possible without the generosity of many people like you.

That’s why I’m personally writing to you today. For every wish like Pierce’s that comes true, another two kids are waiting for their own life-changing experiences as they endure critical illnesses. In fact, another 40 kids are added to the list of waiting wishes every single day.

I know firsthand how crucial a wish experience is for a child and their family to persevere through a difficult medical journey. It’s what got my family through the hardest days of Pierce’s illness, and I don’t want any other child or their families to have to wait unnecessarily for their wish to come true. 

So please, will you make a donation now – as generous of a gift as you’re able to make today – to grant more wishes? Your support will give families like mine something positive to cling to during their darkest moments and can even create positive medical turning points for kids facing life-altering critical illnesses.

On behalf of my family, thank you for helping grant wishes like Pierce’s. There aren’t words to fully express my gratitude.

Aubrey (Pierce’s mom)