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40 Of The Strangest Wishes That The Make-A-Wish Foundation Actually Granted, As Shared By People Online
In 1980, a boy named Chris, who was being treated for leukemia, had a dream to become a police officer, inspiring the establishment of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Since then, the foundation has granted life-altering wishes to children with serious illnesses, bringing them joy, happiness, and unforgettable memories. The charity is now able to grant three different sorts of wishes: “to have,” which includes but is not limited to things like celebrations, nature and outdoor arrangements, gaming and technology, and accessibility and sensory aids; “to be,” which gives kids a chance to become the person of their dreams; and “to meet,” which allows them to meet and/or interact with their idols.
According to their website, Make-A-Wish has fulfilled more than 520,000 wishes globally with the assistance of donors and more than 43,000 volunteers. But because children are such imaginative beings, sometimes their requests aren’t all that typical.
“Make-A-Wish employees, what was the strangest thing a Make-A-Wish kid asked for and actually received?” – this netizen turned to one of Reddit’s most interactive communities, inviting its members who are either personally associated with the foundation or have close ones who are to share the wildest wishes that were ever granted. The thread garnered nearly 67K upvotes as well as 10.1K comments detailing some crazy but moving stories.
More info: Reddit
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#1
I worked at a LEGO retail store in the 2000s and Make-A-Wish approached us for a child with terminal Osteosarcoma who wanted to be in the store for a day. LEGO unfortunately denied the request (which surprised myself and the rest of the staff because LEGO was a pretty great company). Staff decided to honor the request ourselves. We closed the store early on a Sunday, then invited the kid and family in. He had a full run of the store, we collectively paid for like $1000 worth of toys for him to take home, and just spent the entire evening building w/e he wanted. He died a few months later 😭
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#2
I don't have a story this is just a reminder that John Cena has fulfilled over 650 Make-A-Wishes and he is an absolute legend
#3
A funeral. He knew his parents wouldn't be able to afford one, so he wished to have his funeral paid for. They were able to convince his to make another wish, and he wished for gold lockets for his mom and sister with his initials engraved on them.
Edit: His funeral was paid for as well. I believe another non profit helped with that. They just really wanted him to have a wish for himself, but all he cared about was his family.
#4
My wife worked as a nurse at a children’s hospital and cared for a 17 year old cancer patient who’s wish was to meet wiz kalifa. He showed up and spent the day, my wife said they went on a walk and came back high as balls. She said it was a great day for the boy and his family. He passed away a few weeks later.
#5
My friend's an aquarist and she told me about one 17-year-old cancer patient who had a wish to smell a sea lion's breath before he died.
He had read it was the worst thing ever and was just curious to experience it for some reason. Plus he liked sea lions, I guess.
She was of course pretty shocked by the request and said "are you sure? I promise you really, really don't want to smell it, I always make sure to hold my breath if I'm getting that close" but he insisted and it was arranged.
He puked, and didn't enjoy it very much.
#6
I had a coworker at my student job in college who had leukemia as a child. He wished to be in the Iditarod so they flew his family to Alaska and he got to meet all the dogs and ride in a sled for a leg of the race. If I remember correctly he also got a husky puppy.
He was 20 when I met him. I was a couple of years older and graduated college and never saw him again. The leukemia came back and he died in 2016. I don’t think he was much older than 25. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met. I hope heaven is real just for you, Ben.
#7
In wizard 101 there’s a quest with an NPC named Brandon, named after a make a wish kid who played the game, and his request was to design a side quest for the game. You meet Brandon and go help him clear out this dungeon with 2 really f*****g hard bosses, was a lotta fun. At the end U get a gem you can socket that lets you summon Brandon into battle as a follower, pretty cool. Not sure what ended up happening to Brandon, but it’s really cool that thousands of ppl have gotten to enjoy being a part of his wish tbh
#8
After I survived cancer at 17, I was offered a wish. I went to Christmas Island with my family to see the spawning of the red crabs - reckoned to be one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
Picture it, a million fist sized red land crabs making their way down to the sea edge to release their eggs into the ocean over a period of just three hours or so.
The make a wish volunteers looked horrified as I explained it.
And Im typing this now, so yes, I lived thanks.
Edit: Come to think of it, I’m pretty sure my wish caught my family a bit off guard too.
#9
I was a make a wish kid back in 2017 and my wish was to go see a live brain surgery, in Seattle at University of Washington. I loved Grey's Anatomy, I loved Dr Shepherd, and I had brain cancer so I wanted to see what the my doctors kind of saw, what an experience and learned so much. I was a little neurosurgeon for a day, and the neurosurgeon was playing The Pixies while operating. What a great happy moment, I won't forget. They even sent my family from Arizona to Seattle with me, to have dinner with me in the space Needle.
RoanTheMad 2 years ago
I hope this kid is doing well in life now, but Is it bad of me to slightly wish that perhaps, in a couple of years we hear from them again, to hear that they've become a successful brain surgeon /neurologist ? xP
#10
OK this is.more wholesome than anything, but a girl who was a grade above me had cancer in high school. She graduated and I joined the band my senior year to see this plaque with her name and face on it from make a wish. She used her wish to donate new instruments to the school's band (as they were needing new ones). I still know her to this day and she makes a ton of jokes about cancer that it even freaked out her college roommates. She's one of the nicest people I've ever met
#11
Friend’s son want a spider costume. Not a Spider-Man costume. Spider. It was the day before Halloween. A volunteer stayed up all night and made him the costume.
#12
What about that article I saw a few weeks ago about a kid who wanted to use a taser on someone so they let her tase a police officer? That was gold!
#13
I got a wish when I was 8. Was a massive wrestling fan at the time and used to watch it when I was in hospital as they had foxtel (Australian cable). Anyway so I wished for foxtel to watch wrestling.
It took a few months but eventually it got granted - free foxtel with all channels + ppvs until I turned 16 plus the biggest TV on the market back then.
They forgot to ever turn off the free foxtel - I'm now 30.
#14
I was a Blackhawk pilot in the Army and we had a Make A Wish kid who wanted to fly in an Army helicopter. We had to remove all the seats so we could strap his wheelchair down in the middle of the helicopter and we flew him around at treetop level yanking and banking with the doors open for awhile.
#15
I was approached by a similar organization who wanted to arrange a day for a kid to shadow a veterinarian. I’m just a small animal veterinarian with a small hospital so I found it odd that I’d be approached.
I said yes (who tf would say no?) and we picked a day and had our regular patients in the hospital and the kid got to watch us do our thing for a day. We gave him a lab coat and a stethoscope and let him tag along and see x rays and ultrasounds and watch surgeries. I brought my dog in so he could try the ultrasound on her.
He seemed to enjoy it. It wasn’t a terribly strange request really, it just seems like my day-to-day isn’t something anyone would consider their dream experience.
Chris berkley 2 years ago
Hey you made that kids day and that's all that matters in the end 😃😃
#16
Former employee here.
Over half of the wishes are Disney related and beyond that they typically fall into a few categories:
“I wish to travel…”
“I wish to meet…”
“I wish to be…”
“I wish to have…”
“I wish to give…”
You get the idea. So, I always liked wishes that fell outside of the typical wish categories. One time, there was a boy that wished for… “the perfect baked potato.” I don’t know if the wish granters went through with that wish (they may have waited until he was a little older), but I still laugh when I think about it.
Volunteers are trained to ensure they are determining the child’s one true wish (not mom’s wish to go on a cruise, or dad’s wish for new tools, etc.)… a lot of work and thought goes into fulfilling a child’s wish.
kitten levels tokyo 2 years ago
That’s good. I would hope no parent would leverage his child’s wish just to get some new tools…
#17
Heard about one kid who, upon finding his cancer was terminal, requested to meet Voldemort so that he could join the Death Eaters
#18
I am the kid in this case. I didn't have cancer, but at the time, my heart was just not doing so well. So, since I kind of qualified for Make a wish, I was considering 2 options at the time: A dog/pet friendly restaurant or a camper.
I decided to go with the camper (Since I can't control by body temperature and overheat very easily, so I couldn't do tent camping. Now, I am happily camping as I write this answer here
#19
There was a Make-a-Wish kid in a class I taught once and their wish was to tour a pickle factory.
Pickles were their all time favorite food and they wanted to see how the sausage was made so to speak.
Apparently Vlasic rose to the occasion in a major way and she had the time of her life.
Kookamunga 2 years ago
As a big pickle fan, I had to look this up. The Vlasic factory is in Imlay City, Michigan. stork-6375...0ad32e.jpg 
#20
I have incurable cancer but I'm an adult... I've been put in touch with a chartity who helps out people in my position. Normally it's not a "Make a wish" type of thing, they just pay for a holiday or something. But I have told them that if I'm still here after covid and if Bill Burr does another world tour... I'd like to meet him... they responded pretty positively saying they'd "see what they could do" haha... I'm not holding my breath, but it would be pretty cool if it happened.
Edit:
1) Wow this took off, thanks so much for the upvotes, awards, comments, offers of help and offers to get me to an actual upcoming Bill Burr show. I couldn't believe it.
2) I am in Australia and currently can't just pop over to the USA because of COVID, cancer treatment and regular life stuff. This is why I said "if Bill Burr does another world tour". He's been here before, so post COVID there is a good chance he'll come again.
3) When I could no longer work as a Train Driver (they for some reason don't want people with brain tumours in charge of 1000 peoples lives) I had to semi retire. Instead I published my own [Children's Book](http://www.giraffeonyourhead.com) as a new career that I can pick up or put down easily depending on how I'm going with treatment. So feel free to check it out.
#21
I shot an internal promotional video for Make a Wish once.
I got to read through a big book of wishes they had granted. Some of them were so extravagant and amazing. Family vacations, celebrity meetings.
And then I saw a 3 year old who wished for a banana split for breakfast.
And that's what they gave him.
No one was like "ayo. Wish higher."
#22
I stayed at an air bnb in rural Victoria, Australia and they had this indoor half pipe.
My boyfriend at the time loves skateboarding, so we were very interested why this older couple had a skate ramp in their backyard In the middle of nowhere.
Turns out their son had cancer and that’s what he wished for!! He made a full recovery 💕
#23
My ex GF was a make a wish kid and she got to be a guest on Avatar: the last air bender. She was in the tales of ba sing se, at the end of the tale of aang, shes the kid that sees her cat in the zoo and says "fluffykins what're you doing down there."
#24
When I was on a carrier they flew a kid and his parents out. They routinely fly distinguished visitors but we thought it was weird there was this kid. They got tours and watched flight ops but he couldn’t fly with us so they asked us to have dinner with him so he could at least meet pilots and ask questions. It was really humbling when we realized this is what he was there for, he literally wished to just come see what we do and hang it with us.
WoodenLion 2 years ago
i worked on the flight deck of a carrier - that plane ain't gonna' fit.
#25
I'm a MAW volunteer. The volunteers get to do all the fun stuff, like meet with the families, get the kids excited about their wish (we send little gifts and stuff along the way) and then be there when the wish is granted. We don't have to do any of the boring admin stuff.
I have a little girl right now whose original wish was a unicorn (6 y/o with severe epilepsy, has like 15 seizures a day and has been through like 10 surgeries already).
She wasn't having any of that "fake" stuff, like a stuffed animal or a costume. She insisted for weeks on a unicorn. That one was hard to manage.
She's getting a cat.
#26
Make a wish kid here, asked for a drawing tablet. Got it recently n it's amazing!! My cancers come back though, so rip.
Edit: this got a lot more attention than I expected!! Thank you all! Here's a link to my art for those who wanted to see it! http://imgur.com/a/lUcTP3D
#27
I used to know a dude who got sick in high school, and his Wish was to see Rocksteady Studios and be in one of their games. The studio was super cool, evidently, and they put him in Arkham Knight as a GCPD officer. Best part of the story is that he recovered and, last I heard, is still doing okay to this day.
#28
My partner’s nephew had cancer when he was younger. He asked the Make a Wish people for an Xbox 😂 his dad and even the Make a Wish person were like, “are you sure? We could have the entire family go to Disney in America if you want?!” And he’s like “nah, I want an Xbox.” Luckily (and miraculously) he survived so we can laugh about it now!
#29
I did a children's wish at 17 which is an equivalent charity, I initially asked for tickets to the Victoria secret fashion show/ after party, while they found it humourous I was asked to choose a backup. I went to the Galapagos in the end, so that was pretty sweet.
#30
My cousin was a Make a Wish kid. He loved golf, like had a scholarship to go play college, he loved it so much. He got to meet and play a round of golf with Payne Stewart.
Unfortunately, he died not too long after that. F**k cancer.
ETA: Stuart Payne to Payne Stewart
#31
When my son was 3, his Make a Wish was to meet Elmo. For a 3 year old not that strange, I guess. Sent us to Sesame World in Philly. We get there and they had no clue he was on a Make a Wish trip, but they were great and he met Elmo.
Lois Lavin 2 years ago
The park is called Sesame Place. It is in Langhorne PA not far outside of Philadelphia,
#32
I used to be a wish granter and one kid wished for his parents to become citizens (they were illegal and it was a constant source of anxiety for the kid that they could be deported). Unfortunately despite the name MaW can’t grant everything and they did try (got a lawyer and everything) but it wasn’t possible.
More than 50% of wishes are Disney, though!
Edit: Being a wish granter is a volunteer job and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a volunteer role! You get to ask the child their wish and you organise the going away/wish party!
Edit: you guys have latched onto the going away party! One, it’s a common misconception but most Wish Kids don’t die. See my below comment. Two, they get a send-off party! Word it however you want haha but it’s a party before they go on their wish trip. A lot of parents use it to celebrate everything the child has overcome and put up pictures of them in treatment, etc. It is a send-off, though not to end-of-life you mind in gutter people, to Disney World or wherever they want to go!
#33
One kid wished for all of the other kid's wishes... Sheesh
Gina Whitt 2 years ago
Her name is Hope Stout and her wish fulfilled every wish of every child in the Charlotte, NC area. WBT-AM radio and the Charlotte Panthers were instrumental in leading our community to raise millions of dollars. My grandson was one of those lucky recipients and he and his family went to DisneyWorld. She sadly died before celebrating the success of her singular, unselfish wish for every other child.
#34
Wasn’t weird or anything but one of my friends had leukemia in 8th grade and her Wish was to meet Adam Sandler. So she got to spend the day on set of The Longest Yard with him
Agent 8433599 2 years ago
That's cool!! I've heard he's a fun guy to hang out with. Unrelated, but during my school spirit week, we had an Adam Sandler day, where we were supposed to dress up like one of his characters
#35
I remember when [Batkid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batkid) made the news. Over 10,000 people took part. And the kid made 5 years cancer free.
Edit for clarity. I wasn’t involved. A couple of the commentators were so please give them your upvotes. Also please use your coins to support MAW and similar charities. They deserve them. Not me.
the bean master 2 years ago
If you look at the rotten tomatoes review people left negative reviews
#36
Not an employee but this make a wish story was my favourite. Because just the shear BALLS on this kid
https://youtu.be/m1DRfB36RxE
#37
Since OP wants wishes that were granted, my nephew got a family trip to Costa Rica for his wish. Ziplines, beaches, they had a blast. My nephew wasn't terminal, he needed brain surgery for seizures and the stress of the surgery did a number on him mentally.
Kookamunga 2 years ago
There's a Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica as well, which is where I'd be going first! sloth-time...5-jpeg.jpg 
#38
I had a wish when I was 8 due to having leukaemia and a bone marrow transplant. My first thought was "meet Bruce Willis" (Die Hard was my newly discovered favourite film) but my dad asked if I wanted something that would last "like a computer".
I always loved playing on the hospital computers so yea went for that. Best decision ever, I might owe my career to it. I hear Bruce Willis is a bit of a tit irl anyway.
edit: I think this was after the BMT so I was past the worst of it, so I was most likely going to be around to enjoy the "thing that will last".
edit2: in case Bruce Willis reads this I'm still a massive fan, even after Die Hard 5.
kitten levels tokyo 2 years ago
Edit3: if Bruce Willis doesn’t read this, then yeah, he’s a total brussel sprout.
#39
My friend's son asked for the moon. A neighbor overheard the conversation and baked him a huge cake
#40
This one kid really want to meet his favourite comedian. For legal reasons they can’t say who was first or second pick because they declined… but it was super awkward having to ask him what his third favourite comedian was. He settled on Daniel Tosh.
What do you think ?
Kirsten Kerkhof 2 years ago
I went to school with a boy whose sister had an incurable disease. She got to Make a Wish while he had to go to school. He broke down and sobbed, “Everything is always about her, and now she gets to swim with dolphins and I can’t even get my parents to listen to me!” Even as a teen with all the emphatic abilities of a potato I felt so sorry for him. He felt so neglected and alone.
simply.Taz 2 years ago
So sad. It's often easy to neglect the needs of your other children when you have an ill child! :(
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Tamra 2 years ago
I'm so grateful for the Make A Wish foundation, and all who help to make wishes come true, but I found myself a little speechless on this list. The granted wishes are wonderful, but the reason behind it is incredibly sad.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Just try to remember, even for a very short time, they are given a better quality of life with the wishes. That can make a difference and even help them gain the strength to keep on fighting, although that may not be enough in the long run.
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Darth Kittius 2 years ago
My sister chose for us to go to Disney World and "meet Anna and Elsa". Make A Wish sent us to Orlando for a week, complete with money vouchers for souvenirs and food, genie passes, and tickets to all the parks. It was simply magical and I will be forever grateful to them
Kirsten Kerkhof 2 years ago
I went to school with a boy whose sister had an incurable disease. She got to Make a Wish while he had to go to school. He broke down and sobbed, “Everything is always about her, and now she gets to swim with dolphins and I can’t even get my parents to listen to me!” Even as a teen with all the emphatic abilities of a potato I felt so sorry for him. He felt so neglected and alone.
simply.Taz 2 years ago
So sad. It's often easy to neglect the needs of your other children when you have an ill child! :(
Load More Replies... Tamra 2 years ago
I'm so grateful for the Make A Wish foundation, and all who help to make wishes come true, but I found myself a little speechless on this list. The granted wishes are wonderful, but the reason behind it is incredibly sad.
Huddo's sister 2 years ago
Just try to remember, even for a very short time, they are given a better quality of life with the wishes. That can make a difference and even help them gain the strength to keep on fighting, although that may not be enough in the long run.
Load More Replies... Darth Kittius 2 years ago
My sister chose for us to go to Disney World and "meet Anna and Elsa". Make A Wish sent us to Orlando for a week, complete with money vouchers for souvenirs and food, genie passes, and tickets to all the parks. It was simply magical and I will be forever grateful to them
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