When someone suggested in 2000 that Stefanie Hassett get involved with the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Santa Maria resident had her doubts.She wasn’t donating money at a fundraiser or volunteering her time—she was contemplating signing up her 10-year-old son, Alex, who was suffering from lymphoma, for his special wish.
The decision was surprisingly difficult.
“I didn’t know anything about the Make-A-Wish Foundation,” Stefanie recalled. “I thought it was for kids who are dying. And I thought, you know, ‘Well, my kid’s not dying.’”
But over time, Alex’s condition worsened to the point where his doctors gave him a 25 percent chance of survival. Stefanie and her husband, Eric, knew Alex was a fighter—he survived a heart transplant when he was only a few months old. But their oldest son’s consistently declining health led them to reconsider their options. So they contacted the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties, which serves children living in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties.
As a “Wish Kid,” Alex was asked the most magical of questions: “If you could have or do anything in the world, what would it be?”
Alex’s answer: “At the time, he loved trains, so he said he wanted to ride a train and see Shamu,” Stefanie said.
A train and a giant whale might seem incompatible to most people, but Alex’s wish granters were able to bring the two together for a week of fun—and freedom from the worries of cancer—for the family.
Alex’s wish itinerary included a free-of-charge trip for the whole family on Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner to San Diego, where they spent the week visiting Shamu at Sea World, exploring Legoland, and sightseeing.
Stefanie said it was one of the happiest weeks ever for her family. Alex’s health was stable and they didn’t have to worry about anything—especially doctor appointments or chemotherapy sessions.
“When someone is sick like that, you eat, breathe, sleep cancer,” she explained. “That was the best part of the trip: We didn’t have to think about cancer for a week.”
After that blissful time in southern California, the Hassetts returned home to something even more magical. Alex’s cancer eventually went into remission.
Though that time is now behind them, the Make-A-Wish experience made a lasting impact on Stefanie.
After waiting a couple of years to get her feet back under her, Stefanie said she decided to become involved with the foundation again, this time as a volunteer wish granter.
“I thought I could bring a new perspective to the position,” she said. “I could respond to any doubts or concerns of the families because I’d been through it myself.”
And for the last six years, that’s exactly what she’s done.
Wish granters are trained volunteers who work with catastrophically ill children selected by the foundation to have their wishes granted. To be eligible to have a wish granted, a child must be between the ages of 2 1/2 and 18 years old and meet medical criteria established by the foundation.
The formula is simple: First, wish granters help the child make his or her wish. Then they work with the foundation to make it come true.
“I always tell the kids I work with to dream big,” Stefanie said. “I say, ‘This is your one big chance. Really go for it. Use your imagination.’”
And when it comes to imagination, the Wish Kids never seem to disappoint.
“I had one girl who wanted to go to Australia to ride camels,” Stefanie said. “At first, I thought, ‘What are you talking about?’ But it turned out that she had gone online and found a place in Australia that did that.”
Other wishes have included a cartoon-styled tree house in Paso Robles, a trip to New York City to cook with Emeril Lagasse, and a chance to dance with the New York City Ballet Company.
Stefanie added that the Make-A-Wish experience can be just as rewarding for the granter as the receiver.
“It doesn’t take up your life and it definitely makes your day doing it,” she said.
Contact Staff Writer Amy Asman at aasman@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jan 8-15, 2009.