Wish I could play with a baby Elephant.....

12 year old Sindhu, was referred to MAW by Narayan Hrudayalaya. She had undergone the heart surgery with them and was recovering. She wished to play with Baby elephant. MAW coordinators had to make her wish possible. Took time, effort and planning, but finally Sindhu could get to play with a baby elephant at Mysore Zoo on Sunday the 8th of February. She along with her family and volunteers from Make A Wish Foundation visited the zoo and with the help of the zoo officials could play with the little cute baby elephant. Yet another prize smile for the Make A Wish Foundation, made possible.

Wish to Meet Actor Puneet Rajkumar

I wish to meet Puneet Rajkumar, is all she wanted, when our volunteers interacted with her at Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health. She is having Chronic non curable illness and hence is under treatment with the Institute. Our coordinator Anitha networked with the people in media and got her contacts through the filmdom at Bangalore. Finally she could make her contact with persons who could arrange the meeting with the celebrated Actor. The same was fixed up and the girl was taken to meet her idol actor Puneet Rajkumar, son of the Kannada matinee Idol Late Shri Rajkumar. Shri Puneet was kind to spend time with the girl and gift her some drawing books etc. The moment of fulfilling cherished wish of meeting the actor made the little girl brighten up and gave her life time memories. So Bangalore division could fulfill its first celebrity wish today. Well this is just the begining really......

Their smile ........our reward.......

I wish to see all kinds of animals

Dhanushri a bubbly 8 years old girl suffering from Thalassemia Major referred by Vani Vilas Hospital. She lives with her parents and they are working as farmers. She uses to visit Bangalore on a regular basis for her blood transfusion. They are very small farmers and having one and half acre land but fully dependant on the rain as they were lacking any alternative water irrigation facilities. They grew ragi, jowar, groundnut and some pulses if it rains. They were finding difficulty to meet her medical expenses every month though they were getting free blood transfusion, they need to bare the travel expenses from Nelamangala to Bangalore.

On the first day of interaction though she got blood transfusion a few minutes before the volunteers could speak to her, she starts talking with them very energetically without any kind of shyness. She speak with them concerning to her school, teacher and friends. She was keenly interested in birds, animals and especially with the butterflies. She was engrossed in reading story and comic books in her school library. So, while interacting with her our volunteers find out her innermost wish to see the Bannerghatta national park, where she can enjoy safari in the forest, Butterfly Park and zoological park.

So one special day, along with the volunteer she visited Bannerghatta national park with her mother and younger sister. While we going for the safari, she sat near the window in the Safari vehicle initially she saw bears, deers, lions and tigers. She started enjoying herself while seeing each animal and also counting the number of animals she saw. Even her younger sister started take pleasure in seeing the animals and screaming the name of the animals she saw.

After the safari all of them went to butterfly park, she enjoyed watching variety of butterflies, flowers and the life cycle of the butterflies which displayed in the museum. Then all of us watched a movie of variety of butterflies in India and took a snap in the butterfly park along with her parent and younger sister.

Then the volunteer, girl and family moved to zoological park. In the park she keenly watched animals such as deers, elephants, wild cats, porcupine, cobra, python, rat snakes, and birds like parrots, pigeon, kingfisher, hornbill, ducks, peacock, and woodpecker and so on. When she saw her favorite animal cheetah there was no bounds to her happiness and wishes to have a snap along with it. On her way back to city she sang throughout the journey and fulfilled her cherished wish.

Wish I had a carrom board...i could play carrom...

Manohar, a young beaming boy of 15, from Devanhalli Taluk, attending his schools regularly, is having Hemophilia major. Our volunteers interacted with him and found his love for Carrom, which he gets to play with some friends sometimes in neighbourhood. Not allowed to play games, that could cause him injury or a cut, due to his medical conditions, he wished to have a carrom baord to himself, when he could play with his friends and hone his skills in the striking. God gave us another opportunity to bring smile back on the face of another young boy and we made his wish come true with the carrom board and wish he enjoys playing every moment of it.

Wish I could see cartoons.....as I need to be on bed for two years....

Spreading Joy: Make-A-Wish Foundation gifted ten-year-old Akhila, who was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis, a colour television set.....read this wish story in THE HINDU today at

http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/08/stories/2008070857390200.htm

Bangalore: It sometimes takes very little effort to bring joy to another human being. But on most occasions there is no effort to even communicate. Make-A-Wish Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, has been making that extra effort to make contact and bring smiles to thousands of children across the country.
Take the case of 10-year-old Akhila whose life changed completely when she was diagnosed with spinal tuberculosis.
One day, while lifting a bucket of water, the spinal support gave away. She was later admitted to the Lady Curzon hospital. Doctors advised complete bed rest for two years. Life came to a stand still for her.
She was in the hospital when members of Make-A-Wish got in touch with her. After several interactions, they realised that what it would take to make the girl happy was a television set. Coming as she did from a lower middle-class background, her parents could not even afford it.
So, Make-A-Wish gathered the resources and presented her a 14-inch television set, and Akhila’s happiness knew no bounds. “She was so excited that she did not even know what to say,” says her mother. Ask the little girl what she wants to watch and pat comes the reply: “Cartoons!” Started in India by Uday and Gita Joshi in 1996, Make-A-Wish has played Santa to about 13,000 children over all the years.
The organisation responds to the wishes of only those who are in life-threatening situations. Children aged between three and 18 are chosen irrespective of their socio-economic status.
Many hospitals like Kidwai, Lady Curzon and Narayana Hrudayalaya have extended their support to this organisation.

I wish I could read so much.........

THE HINDU, Bangalore Edition carried one of our wish fulfillment stories. Read it at:

http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/17/stories/2008061758100200.htm

BANGALORE: Few situations in life can be more tragic than a child battling life threatening illness. Parents can only watch helplessly while doctors somehow attempt to set things right. A Bangalore-based non-governmental organisation called Make a Wish Foundation is attempting to intervene and cater to the child’s wishes, and keep the smile going.
The organisation is aiming to cater to the wishes of children aged between three and 18, especially those who face endless rounds of hospital visits, painful treatment and medication.
The foundation volunteers to meet the children, take note of their wishes and shortlist their wants. “The wishes belong to four categories: wishing to become, wishing to go, wishing to meet and wishing to have,” says Vijay Ladha, Programme Director, MWF. “We launched our programme in January. And till date, we have fulfilled about 20 wishes,” he said.
However, the fulfilment of all children’s wishes requires the doctor’s consent. “Sometimes, it is not possible to fulfil the wishes of a child. One boy wished to play cricket but the doctor did not allow it,” says Mr. Ladha.
Among the wishes the foundation has catered to include visits to the Mysore zoo, wanting a doll as big as a child, possessing a gold fish bowl, learning music and playing musical instruments.
Children who are avid fans of celebrities and sports stars also get their dreams fulfilled. Mr. Ladha said, “The whole concept of fulfilling the wish is important. If a child wants to learn music, we have to ensure that there is a teacher to train her.” “It is very touching. Their wishes are so small. One cannot forget the look on their faces,” says Mr. Ladha.

Wishes as unique as each child is.....God's unique creation

Every time, Make A Wish Volunteer or Coordinator meet a child and interact with him/her, the experience is unique. Children wish for simple joys of life, which look so simple to human beings but seen from the perspective of that child it appears to be a unique wish, cherished wish. Each wish is a learning experience for the volunteer and us as it leaves us with some experience that is life cherishing. A doll as big as me.... a acquarium with gold fish.....photo with a tiger...... I want to listen to music everyday......I want to play what music I want to listen......so simple....but so honest....so humble...so natural......and we keep moving on from one child to another and yet another to get smile back on their face.

Bangalore Marathon....run for Make A Wish

Running is good for health...and all the more when it is for a cause. Join the bangalore marathon and run for make a wish.....your contribution and generous donations would help make a wish reach out to more and more children with life threatening diseases. Making their cherished wishes come true is a mission which would be fulfilled....so join now and RUN>>>>>>>

I wish i could see and make friends with Animals and birds....

We got 5 year old boy Kumar( Name changed) referral from Narayana Hrudayalaya, suffering from VSD, PFO, Moderate Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension a kind of heart disease.He was very much playful and active boy, in the first visit we are not able to speak with him as he was thinking we are from hospital. His father working as a carpenter in one wood shop and mother is a housewife. They were basically from Tamilnadu and living in a small rented house in Bangalore, they were unable to afford his medication cost.

He was having one elder brother and very much sensitive and more attached to his mother. In their home they were not having television, when he was in hospital he used to watch Tom and Jerry and Mr. Beam. He loves to watch the movies of actor Rajanikanth in Tamil. During weekends and general holidays he play Kabaddi (Local Game) with his brother and visits to the near by park to his home along with his mother. He was very keenly interested to see the animals, birds, flower and vegetable gardens. He knew most of the animals and flowers name through his favorite teacher.

While speaking with him about his wish, he told us that he wish to see animals of all kinds and dreamt of seeing them at the famous Mysore Zoo, which is the 3rd largest in the country. His innermost wish is to see all kind of animals and birds.

So on the chosen day on 6th April 2008, we took him, his father and brother along with the 2 volunteers to Mysore Zoo. The Mysore zoo officials as one Zoo Education Officer and 3 Zoo volunteers guided the children as well as the volunteers in the local language of the kids. They personally taking each kid individually and explained about the birds, animals and about the nature. They offered lunch and juice in zoo, from their side to all the wish participants. They were really helpful in many ways in making the wish cherished and memorable for the little one.

Even our wish kid become very much friendly with the volunteer who guided he all the way in zoo and he invited the volunteer to his home. He asked many questions about animals and birds to the zoo volunteer, which they replied with patience and interest.

His wish is to take a snap with lion, instead of that he was more interested in seeing various animals and birds in the zoo. His mother said, at home he was not ready to walk from his home to school, but in zoo he walked almost around 4 hours with the volunteer. (Mysore Zoo is spread over 100 acres of land) After seeing the zoo, he was not ready to come out of it, he wants spend some more time in zoo with animals and the volunteer. Finally, he thanked the volunteers for fulfilling is cherished wish and invited all of them to his home for Ugadi festival. He had many friends with the animals and birds from the zoo that day. The day would remain etched in his memory for ever.