Alec’s is a very sensitive 13 year old boy who is very close to his family. His physical hobbies are limited due to his medical condition, Brugada/Long QT Syndrome, a genetic disease that is characterised by abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) findings and an increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

He said his wish to go to Jamaica would be a once-in-lifetime opportunty. With the help of the fundraising efforts of the “Mustaches 4 Kids” (M4K), the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario made all the arrangements to have Alec & his family stay in a beautiful all-inclusive resort in Monego Bay. Alec was able to particpate in many activities
including parasailing and a tour to the infamous “Dunn’s River Falls”.

One of the items on his to-do list while in Jamaica and perhaps the most memorable day of Alec’s trip, was his tour of the village & homestead of “Bob Marley”, the place where this well known musician grew up and was buried.

Stephanie’s Wish to go to The Grammy’s

Stephanie is a typical 15 year old girl that is captivated by celebrities and their lives. Her wish was to go to “The Grammys”, an event that is considered the most prestigious annual event by most celebrities. She wanted to see first hand the many stars that walk the red carpet and attend the show. She only hoped she could actually meet one of the celebrities. Her dream came true in February when she was flown to Los Angeles with her family.

The day of “The Grammy’s” Stephanie was treated to a professional hair style and a spa treatment before she was picked up by a stretch Hummer limousine and escorted to the event. She was given fantastic seats to view all the celebrities that walked the “red carpet” before heading into the auditorium. She was also given great seats to attend the show and was invited to an after-party where again she was able to see many of the celebrities she had only seen in magazines or on TV.

Upon her return to reality, Stephanie states “Everything that happened was so much more than I could ever imagine. I still play the trip over and over in my head so I will always remember it.”

Danica’ Wish To go to The Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas

Danica is a positive, courageous and “strong willed” 14 year old girl from Ottawa who was diagnosed in March 2010 with a brain tumor. She had several surgeries which paralyzed her right side and because of her determination, she beat the odds and regained her strength and mobility.

With the help of the fundraising efforts of the “Mustaches 4 Kids” (M4K) event & the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario, Danica and her family were whisked away to the “Atlantis Paradise Resort” in the Bahamas in April 2011 to spend a worry-free & fun week.

Yes, your mustache will make you more attractive to women.

Yes, your mustache will make a difference in sick kid’s life. It will grant a wish that will give hope, strength and joy.

The following are two wishes that were given through the help of Mustaches for Kids Ottawa 2009 Campaign.

Zoe

Zoe is a sweet 10 year old girl from Ottawa who suffers from Cystic Fibrosis.  She struggles for every breath she takes and spends a large percentage of each day exercising and going through routines to keep her lungs and passage ways clear.

Zoe spends many hours watching TV during these routines and treatments.  One of her favorite shows is “Hannah Montana”.  When asked what her wish would be, it was no surprise that it was to meet the girl behind the costume, Hannah Montana (a.k.a. Miley Cyrus).  Zoe’s wish came true on April 29 2010. The meeting co-incited with World Wish Day – and Zoe was proud to be the Canadian Ambassador for this amazing day.

This wish was possible due to the fundraising efforts of the “Mustaches for Kids” event held in November 2009 and the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario.

Zoe, her younger sister and her parents, flew to Los Angeles and sat in the front row to watch Miley Cyrus perform a special song.  She also joined Miley at lunch, received autographed souvenirs and had pictures taken.

Taylor

Taylor is a happy 8 year old girl who was born with a neuro-genetic disorder called Angelman’s Syndrome. There are many characteristics of this disease but the most debilitating are sleep disturbance and seizures. Taylor is non-verbal but communicates very well through gestures and sounds.

When at home, one of Taylor’s favorite things to do is spend time watching Disney characters on TV. Her favorite being Mickey Mouse!

Through the generous fundraising efforts of the M4K Group and the Make-A -Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario, Taylor and her family enjoyed a carefree week at “Give Kids the World” in Orlando, Florida. While there, they were able to capture many of the theme parks and attractions.

The cliché “a picture tells a thousand words” is absolutely the right for Taylor. Every picture received from the whole trip says it all! As her mom stated “watching her expression when she fed the dolphins, to the excitement she expressed riding Splash Mountain, to sitting in the ocean and having the tide splash around her are only a few of the numerous moments that I will cherish forever. When she sits and looks at the many pictures, I see that beaming smile appear on her face and a twinkle in her eyes. Priceless for our family!”

I have some Wish Stories that I would like to share with you. You and your teams collective efforts from your event was in a word “wonderful”. We allocated your funds towards many wishes over the holidays that we have completed. Christmas being the most wonderful time of the year is also for our Make-A-Wish children the time of most need.  In the end of it all be very proud of your accomplishments in 2008. It was huge. Please feel free to pass them along to the group so they also can feel the “MAGIC” they collectively created or the kiddies we serve.

Because some wishes can’t wait for someday.

I have one question for your group. Is there anything a moustache can’t do?

Below are 4 stories of completed wishes during the holidays.

Raphael

A shy 5 year old boy, who has Retinoblastoma, was overwhelmed by his wish for a shopping spree at Toys-R-Us just in time for Christmas.

Raphael and his entire family were picked up at home by a limo and driven to the Toys-R-Us store where he was met by the store mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe. He was escorted around by family and very friendly employees who helped the children pick toys and games. Before heading back home with a jammed packed limo he was whisked away to his favourite restaurant. Raphael ended his “wish day” very content and wearing a big smile!

Raphael’s mom was overwhelmed: «It was a very exciting experience with our kids and having their Christmas wishes fulfilled. We had never dreamed that we could have a limo ride! On behalf of my family, we thank you for all the things you have given us, what you gave was more that what we were expecting.»

Henry

Henry is a very personable 11 year boy suffering from a brain tumour who asked for nothing but an IPOD Classic. Imagine out of anything he could wish for this was it.We at Make-A-Wish always love to what we call ” enhance” the wish. So when the Wish Grantors arrived with all the extra goodies they couldn’t wait to see his expression .Henry was so very grateful for the numerous other “gadgets” given to him by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario that it was overwhelming.

His shy demeanour disappeared quickly and our visit with Henry became very educating and interesting as he shared his great knowledge about all of the games and electronics we brought.

Another happy child with a great big smile at the end of his “wish day”!

Riley’s Wish ( another type of Wish we do )

We received a call just before Christmas from one of our social Workers that directly work with the families in need. She told us about 12 Year Old Riley, who suffers from a brain tumour along with other medical issues. In these cases were time is at an essence we act very quickly. These type of wishes are our hardest wish emotionally we have to do at Make-A-Wish and we refer to them as “A RUSH WISH “  We asked the father what are Riley’s likes and what does he think his son needs at this time in his life. The dad told us things like Riley loves Hockey! The dad also relayed to us about other needs at home that Riley could use. With this information we jumped at the chance to do what we could. Since his condition hasn’t allowed him to travel far from home, the Make-A-Wish of Eastern Ontario, decided that we could bring his wish to him. We bought Riley a 52″ Flat screen HD TV ( he was losing his vision and it was hard to see the T.V. that they had ). Also a big comfy bed with all the trimmings( his little bed was in terrible condition ) and reclining chair ( Lazy Boy ) for him to enjoy his T.V when he could and was out of his bed. Along with many other gifts of movies, games, goodies, HD TV box and so on. We made it all happen and delivered out the articles to him in 2 days, just before Christmas. I also brought Riley out a check for $500 to spend anyway he wished and other things that he wanted to have for the enhancement of his Wish. The family was simply stunned and so excited. Riley’s face was full of joy as he stared at all the stuff that was being delivered in front of his eyes. Volunteers that helped on the delivery and myself all had tears of joy on what we accomplished in this situation. It was truly magical. I was speaking to the wish dad the other day to see how things are going and if all the goodies we brought out were in order. He replied that it made their Christmas considering the situation. Riley is glued to the HD TV and loves to watch the Sens High definition Hockey. Most of all he enjoyed the juniors hockey over the holidays. His bed is perfect and the Lazy boy is front and center in front of the T.V. With his father choking up expressing his thanks to us all I told him, we are only an extension of the kindness of our donors and their hard work and efforts. As we stood there we all had tears in our eyes and the father could hardly speak anymore. I hugged him and told him that him and Riley are the hero’s in my life.

Krystal-Marie

Krystal-Marie is a typical 15 year old except that she suffers from an Optic-pathway brain tumour. Despite her illness, Krystal has a love for makeup and the latest technology. Her wish was to own a Flat screen TV & a Laptop computer.

Since her birthday falls on Christmas Day, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Eastern Ontario thought it appropriate to grant her wish as close to her birthday as possible. And so, on December 22nd, she was totally surprised and ecstatic when a Limo showed up at her house to take her shopping for a 46″ Flat screen TV for her bedroom. Moreover, Sony generously granted her a “pink” laptop and “pink” IPOD along with many other surprises.

Krystal mom wrote that: «The wish turned out exactly the way we thought, excellent. It was awesome that Mike the Sony rep stayed and made sure that everything was in working order before he left and said to call him if we needed help.»

This is a birthday that Krystal-Marie will never forget!

Asia ( left on her trip January 19th )

Asia is a quiet 11 year old from Kingston who’s very close to her parents and four siblings. Asia suffers from neurological problems who take a toll on her. As her mom put it: «Asia is an incredibly brave little girl with just too many worries». Unfortunately, one of her younger sisters also suffers from seizures and autism. Because of both sisters condition, they have a trained service dog named Rivers who detects seizures before they happen and alert the parents. The complexity of Asia’s condition has made it impossible thus far for the entire family to travel and enjoy a much needed vacation. Sadly, Asia has a very good understanding of her condition and feels quite sad that her siblings must miss out on certain family activities because of it. Her wish is to travel to Walt Disney to meet the fairies and visit Pixie Hallow. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation and our incredible partners, Asia’s Disney wish will come true on January 19th 2009 when her entire family, as well as Rivers, will be flying to Orlando. All of our staff and volunteers are excited for Asia and this great chance to finally just be a kid.

Asia with her 3 Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario Wish Grantors on the couch.

Our efforts last year went towards helping grant 3 wishes.

Victoria

Victoria is an adorable three-year-old girl from Ennismore, Ontario who lives with Bilateral Nephroblastomatosis, a disease which severely affects the function of her kidneys. Her wish was to travel Disney World to meet Cinderella. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Eastern Ontario, her wish came true in April. Victoria’s favourite part was meeting Cinderella & Dora the Explorer. Her family had tons of fun: “The people at Give Kids the World were amazing and very friendly, we loved it there! Thank you to everyone that made this possible. We will never forget how much fun we had! ”

This was a full wish which means your efforts paid for the whole thing, beginning to end.

Jakob

Jakob is a bright 7 year old boy from Orleans. Last year he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or in soft tissue. Jakob’s wish was to go on a Disney Cruise with his parents, brother and grandmother. He had never been on a large ship. The Make-A-Wish Foundation was happy to grant Jakob’s wish. He sailed on a 7 nights West Coast Cruise from May 25^th to June 1^st.

For this wish we were a partial partner. We provided the gifts, initial visit, limo and spending money on the cruise.
Michael

In May, Michael, a 10 year-old boy from Ottawa, received a birthday wish from Make-A-Wish ® Eastern Ontario. Michael’s social worker and school principal wrote to Make-A-Wish explaining that this little boy suffered from Synovial Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer which usually occurs near to the joints of the arms or legs. Although Michael was at school for a brief period, his condition worsened quickly, increasing the gravity of his prognosis. At this difficult time, Michael wished for a computer to help brighten his spirits. The generous employees at Sony help grant Michael’s wish, providing him with a brand new computer. In addition, Make-A-Wish ® Eastern Ontario organized a birthday party at the Children Hospital of Eastern Ontario for Michael and his friends from school. It was a magical day to celebration of this young boy’s amazing courage. Second is Michael.

We partnered with Sony to grant Michael’s wish.

Posted by Brett Tackaberry

No words can describe what you and your group of friends have done for our daughter Selena. I can surely say that Selena’s wish was truly granted by wish angels like yourselves and the make-a-wish foundation. Selena had a up close and personal experience with Sea World biggest star SHAMU real name Tuliqum. The smile on her face is one that we haven’t seen for quite a while. It’s amazing how the magic of a child’s wish could make all those long days and evenings at the hospital and with doctors just vanish away. She was able to meet all the princesses at Disney World. I truly believe that no words can describe the magic that you all put in Selena’s heart that she’ll will cherish forever. There are not enough words to describe the gratitude for the magical week that your group has given to our daughter we will forever be grateful.