featured wish  - dee appel
 

The following is just an example of the letters we receive. We are sure that, once you read it, you too will want to find a way to make someone's wish come true.

Dear Fran and Anna,

When I became part of Making Memories Breast Cancer Foundation several years ago, it was because, as a breast cancer survivor since 1996, I realized how special and important Making Memories’ mission is. I was one of the exceedingly blessed people who had beaten the odds. And while I could not imagine being one of those chosen few in that regard, I was thrilled to be part of an organization whose purpose is to grant wishes to terminal breast cancer patients. I knew only too well how easily I could have fallen into that category.

My experience with Making Memories has been beyond fulfilling. I have met so many extraordinary people. People who give so selflessly. Women and men whose lives have been touched by this dread disease in some way and whose hearts’ desire is to make a difference in the life of someone who is terminally ill. These people are amazing! They appear at wedding gown sales as volunteers. They show up at fund-raising walks, jewelry sales, silent auctions. They spend endless hours serving others without thought of any reward other than a smile or a word of heartfelt thanks from a person who has been helped by Making Memories.

It has been an amazing journey for me, and has brought such a deep sense of being a part of something bigger. I have tearfully read the heart-wrenching stories from those whose wishes have been granted by Making Memories – and have also seen how granting a wish can and has provided the only light in the midst of such a heartbreaking circumstance. Breast cancer crosses all boundaries. It is unpredictable. While there are many, many survivors and so much more hope today than in years past, it is true that once you’ve been diagnosed, you live with an ongoing awareness of how precious and tenuous life is.

Last December we discovered the beast that lurked within me had found its way to my liver, and I became yet another statistic. I was slammed in the heart by the deep emotional devastation felt by all of those whom Making Memories serves. I am a mother of three – my youngest is not yet married. I am a grandmother of three young grandchildren. I am a published author, have been a Music Director at my church for 20 years and have many wonderful and dear friends. I love life and people and traveling and have everything to live for.

After I was diagnosed, unbeknownst to me, my daughter contacted Making Memories to ask if I was eligible to have a priority wish granted. Because of the Stage IV diagnosis, I qualified for a wish. She knew it would be my heart’s desire to have a family vacation with my grandchildren, and through Making Memories she was able to surprise me with the granting of my unspoken wish.

In March, 2005, you, Fran, asked me to appear on a local television station to promote an upcoming walk – the March for Memories in Portland, Oregon. I was happy to do this as part of my volunteer role. In the middle of the on-air interview, suddenly a phone call was taken from my daughter and her photograph was shown split screen with me live on the show. It was then she told me of all of the behind-the-scenes efforts that had gone on for months – even keeping the secret from me while I was working in the Making Memories headquarters!!! I was overwhelmed and broke down in tears as I received this love gift from so many of my friends and family who had contributed to an unbelievable dream.

My family and I lived out that dream just two short weeks ago. We all flew to Colorado from Texas and spent a marvelous week in the only cool place in the whole country! I was surrounded by the ones who are so dear to me – my children and grandchildren – and together we played on Alpine slides, rafted the Colorado River, took a wagon train drawn by Belgian draft horses to a ranch for a fabulous dinner, drove through glorious mountains and passes with breathtaking views, and took a gondola to the top of the highest peak for an over-the-top four-course fondue dinner with Bavarian music!! We played games, fished, golfed, swam, hot-tubbed, warmed our toes in a natural hotsprings, and stayed in a condo overlooking the Snake River.

We left all our cares and my health concerns far behind us in Texas and reveled in the joy of each other’s company. None of us know what the future holds, but the memories we created on the wish trip, uninhibited by financial constraints, are the sweetest we have ever shared together. Making Memories made it possible. I now understand personally what the granting of a wish to someone with a terminal diagnosis means. It is an inside view that in many ways I wish I did not have, but I will do my best to make it happen for as many others as I can for as long as I have the breath to do so…because it is something even breast cancer cannot steal from you – the memories you make together and all of the joy that comes with them.

With my love and forever thanks,

Dee Appel