Cody, 16, is such a passionate outdoorsman that he fishes, on average, more than 30 times a year in Utah. When he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer, his illness did not overshadow his love for the mountains, trout streams and fly-fishing. When asked what his deepest wish would be, he said, "I love to fish and I've always wanted to go to Alaska."
He was frail and exhausted from his treatments in the hospital, but Cody's wish helped him "get the sparkle back in his eye." He was eager to go out and get his fishing gear and head for the Alaskan wilderness with his family. While there, Cody delighted in the early morning halibut fishing on the open water of Resurrection Bay and the salmon fishing on the Kenai River. A treasured highlight was an evening spent kayaking across the ocean waters watching salmon spawn and seals, sea lions and puffins paddle nearby.
Sarah was waiting for a heart transplant and was in a wheelchair. She wanted a service dog to help her so she could go to school. Service dogs are hard to get and generally require being on a long waiting list because of increased demand and limited supply. But, it just happened that there was a dog the service agency was unable to place because it had a heart defect. Sparky was perfect for Sarah, because "he loves me no matter what." Sarah lost her battle with her heart defect; Sparky was with her to the end and died a couple of months later.
"My name is Adam. OK, here's why I like National Public Radio. I grew up listening to "Car Talk," which my family listened to almost every Saturday. Once I got into middle school I started listening to NPR's news shows almost religiously. I have a few career options that I have put a lot of thought into: One is politics, the other radio news broadcasting. Here are my thoughts on living with CF (cystic fibrosis). I sometimes have a hard time breathing, running is not my forte. I'm kind of short and skinny, and I get tired pretty easily. However, everything that you have read about me in this letter has been influenced by my CF. I truly believe that my life would be completely different if I did not have CF. I don't know if that would be a good thing. I like my life just how it is."
That's how Adam's letter read when he declared his wish to be a journalist at NPR HQ in Washington, D.C. Adam's wish was everything he dreamed of — and more. He went to journalist boot camp, had his own NPR e-mail and ID, and saw his photo displayed alongside NPR's gallery of world-famous journalists. Once home, Adam said, "I got to know some of the nicest people I have ever met at NPR. I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world."
Source: Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah