A 17-year-old wish child and his family live in an Amish community, and his wish was to have his very own horse buggy! The wish child was able to meet with a local buggy shop to go over his wish list for his buggy and all the features and specifications he envisioned.
Our volunteer wish granters on this wish, Don & Diane Roelfs, were instrumental in communication with the family. The only way our office could contact this family, besides going in person, was through a shared business phone that often did not work. Don and Diane were able to go in person to visit the wish child and served as the family’s primary contact due to the difficulty of communication.
When it came time for the buggy pickup, they spent many hours with the wish child and his family to celebrate his wish – the wish child even took them both on a ride in his new buggy!
Make-A-Wish Iowa’s mission is to create life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. Each wish is as different as the child. While some children and families are comfortable sharing their wish journey, others choose to maintain their privacy. The choice is always left up to the family and wish child, as there is never an expectation placed on the family to fundraise for their wish experience.