One Step Closer

Over the last 6 months I have been asked more often than any other question, "What ever happened with Ashley's Make a Wish?"

Well, I can officially give an answer other than "I'm not sure".

In June she was interviewed for a wish, in July we received the phone call to share with us that her wish had been approved and then we didn't hear anything again for months and months which is why I could never really answer your questions. The week before Christmas we were contacted and told they were ready to grant Ashley's wish.

So the artist we chose(she's amazing if you ever need one) came in and painted the walls in Ashley's therapy room. Her work is beautiful and it is exactly what I asked her to do. She transformed the room and when we step inside of there with Ashley Kate it feels like she is actually outside rather than in. Last week Make a wish stopped by to see the paintings and asked us to sign off that her wish had been granted.

So we are one step closer to making Ash's wish become a reality. As time and money permits Dave and I will finish granting her wish. At this time it is a large, open room with beautifully painted walls. Once we are finished it will have become what we had hoped for Ash. A place to forget the hospital stays, a place to bring smiles to her face, a place where she can lay under a starry sky, a place where she can swing from the branches of an apple tree, a place where she can reach all of the books from her very own library, a place where she can pull up on her own and begin to walk, a place where she can learn, and play, and grow.

Make a Wish brought us one step closer and for that we are SO thankful. So if you ever wonder whatever happened to Ashley Kate's Make a wish, you have your answer. Her play/therapy room is a work in progress, and someday it will all be complete. My hope is to find the resources to finish it up in time for her 5th birthday.

Every other family that I know personally( and many, many others that I do not) wish for a trip to Disney World. I suppose we could have wished for the same thing. Dave and I had to speak for Ashley Kate since she can't speak for herself and when making her wish we tried to think off all the things she loved. We were asked to dream big for her and that is what we did. That list included apple trees, stars, swings, books, clouds, birds, etc. When coming up with her wish we wanted to bless her with something that ordinarily we would not be able to give her. Disney World is something we had already done with her and something we could always do again someday in the future. Although we love the painted walls in her play room I think my advice to other families would be to take that trip. Make some memories with your family.

We would like to say thank you to the Make a Wish foundation for bringing us one step closer to making Ashley Kate's wish come true. We are grateful.

And that is the answer to the question, "Whatever happened to Ashley's Make a wish".