Make-A-Wish Michigan

History

Established in 1984.

In late January 1984, an 11-​year-​old boy boarded a plane to Florida, eager to stand on the drawbridge of the Dream Castle at Walt Disney World® Resort.

Joshua, who had a brain tumor, was the first child to be granted a wish by Make-​A-​Wish® Michigan.

Two years prior, Joshua’s family had moved to Michigan, and he became ill a short time later. At first, his family thought it was the flu, until he lost his balance one morning walking down the steps.

«I couldn’t take two steps in a row, so I had to go to the hospital for tests,» Joshua told a local newspaper in 1982.

It was then the doctors discovered a malignant brain tumor.

Joshua’s mom had heard of Make-​A-​Wish through her family in Nevada, and contacted the month-​old local chapter, Make-​A-​Wish Michigan, which was headquartered in Traverse City. And the rest is history.

Since 1984, Make-​A-​Wish Michigan has granted more than 8,000 wishes to kids in Michigan.