When JoAnn Pierce mentions "her kids," she may or may not be talking about her own daughters, both grown and living in the Springfield, Mo., area. More than likely, she's referring to the kids she's helped through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. "They're my inspiration. I love to meet every one of them," says Pierce, who's been a volunteer "wish granter" for about 17 years. "I need them almost as much as they need me."
Pierce, a part-time EMT living near Ellsinore, Mo., meets with children throughout Southeast Missouri -- but says she'd travel throughout the state if she could afford it. Children ages 2 through 18 are referred to the Make-A-Wish Foundation by doctors, parents or social workers. Because of what they're dealing with -- brain tumors, leukemia, heart defects, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy -- each "wish visit" is a reality check for Pierce.
"Nothing we've been through compares to what they have to deal with every day at such a young age," she says. "Some have had it really bad, every day of their life since they were born."
Wish visits last anywhere from one hour to three, depending on how vocal the child is and how much he or she has thought about the wish. Most of the time, says Pierce, the child has already decided on a wish, but wish granters are there to help them explore all the possibilities. What do you want to be? Where do you want to go? Who do you want to meet? What do you want to have? These are the questions Pierce asks each child -- the goal, she says is for kids to use their imagination and realize there are no boundaries. After all, she says, she's never been unable to grant a wish. "We can always make a wish come true, one way or another," says Pierce.
A trip to Disney World is the most popular wish by far, but backyard play sets are also in high demand. Pierce has helped arrange for kids to go wild hog hunting, travel to Greece, get a big-screen TV to watch "Spongebob," meet Kenny Chesney, and hang out with paintball champ Ollie Lang.
After the visit comes a flurry of activity between the wish granters and Make-A-Wish workers from all over the state or country, depending on what the child's wish is. Pierce visits the family again to "grant" a wish, or present them with an expense check or travel itinerary, for example. She always follows up with the family, either in-person or on the phone, to find out how the wish played out.
"We go in as strangers and we leave all as family, with a hug. There's an instant bond, and they are so grateful for this," she says. The Make-A-Wish experience reaches deeper than a new toy or a vacation, she adds. It's about kids believing that wishes can come true, and just being a kid for a few days.
"It's a release to forget about their sickness. Sometimes that's the only relief they ever get. When they go back, they're still sick," she says, but it's easier when they've had a break. "They love it and it's something they'll never forget, so we want it to be the experience of a lifetime."
Make-A-Wish tries to involve the child's family as much as possible, says Pierce. Most of the sick kids she meets feel guilty for interrupting the family order and using all their parents' time and money. The parents are exhausted, and siblings might feel left out or resentful because so much attention is focused on the sick child.
"Life's hard enough when you have a healthy child, but then, to have a sick child... so we don't ask for anything but their wish," says Pierce. "We don't ask for anything in return."
At this moment, Pierce has a queue of eight wishes from eight sick kids -- but she never forgets the ones she's already met. She keeps a giant binder of carefully filed photos, thank-you notes and newspaper clippings, all related to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the children she's helped.
"They're still living. Life's different, but they're still there," she says. One of Pierce's favorite things is to see photos or mentions of kids she's met, and to know that they've moved on with their lives. "You wonder how much people can take, but I guess faith gets you through. It has to be faith," she says. "They've been through a lot, and it gives me inspiration. It really does."
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