Granting Dreams Beyond Hospital Walls
Written for Mattie Miracle Cancer Foundation Monthly Newsletter
March 2025 | Volume 16 - Number 3
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, all sense of normalcy evaporates. Going to school, playing with friends, family gatherings, and the small daily routines in between are suddenly replaced with doctor’s appointments, unexpected trips to the emergency room, and middle-of-the-night worries about fevers and medication doses. The overwhelming fear of the unknown hangs over everything. The cost of treatment can be staggering, and the emotional toll affects marriages, jobs, and the health of other family members. In short, having a child diagnosed with cancer turns a family’s world upside down.
As a child life specialist, my role is to provide holistic support and interventions to families in the hospital setting. Child life services address the psychosocial needs of the child, parents, siblings, and even extended family and friends. How do we explain this setback? How can we prepare our child for that procedure? These are the questions families face every day. I learn a lot about the families I work with. Hospital staff, nurses, social workers, and child life specialists become deeply aware of family dynamics and the struggles that come with having a child with cancer.
Caregivers often can not think beyond the next day, the next week, or the next month. Their focus narrows to the immediate task of getting their child through treatment, one day at a time. It’s hard to consider anything beyond the hospital walls.
When Mattie Miracle's President introduced me to M&M Wishes, I immediately knew it could help my patients and their families shift from the day-to-day grind of clinic visits and chemotherapy to something brighter — something to look forward to.
Fred was four years old when he was diagnosed with cancer. Not long after, his twin brother Blake was diagnosed as well. The family had spent weeks in the hospital, missing Christmas and other holidays at home, struggling to balance the needs of the twins with their younger sister. They needed an infusion — not of chemotherapy, but of fun.
Fred and Blake’s mom and I talked about what the boys wished for and what would benefit the whole family. The boys had been asking to go to Great Wolf Lodge for months, and we knew that was the wish we wanted to make happen. Mattie Miracle worked closely with me and the hospital to arrange the trip with as little stress as possible for the family. We booked them a multi-day retreat with all the bells and whistles. The family had an incredible time — soaking up the fun and freedom from the hospital. They came back with photos and memories to cherish.
Another patient of mine needed something different. Jake’s family wanted to create as many “normal” memories as possible with their three-year-old son. His prognosis was poor, and his illness left him tired and weak. M&M Wishes granted them a membership to the aquarium and zoo. Jake loved animals, and they knew he would enjoy cruising around in a wagon, exploring the exhibits at his own pace. The membership tickets gave them the opportunity to spend time together, no matter the weather — and always close enough to the hospital if they needed to return quickly.
M&M Wishes are vital to a child’s healing. These grants give families the chance to dream beyond the hospital walls — to create moments of joy, connection, and happiness. Childhood cancer takes so much away. M&M Wishes helps give some of it back.
