Open Letter To The Names on the Wall at This Minnesota Culvers
Open letter to the hundreds of names on the stars at this Culvers in Minnesota,
You don't know me, and I promise, I wasn't stalking you while you were munching on your Butterburger the other day at this Culvers in Minnesota. But, seeing you show up made me pause for a moment while I was ordering my meal the other day. I was in complete awe and was overcome with gratitude. Again, you have no idea who I am and most people don't know my story, but because you said "Yes" to adding that extra $1, you said "Yes" to helping make a dream possible. A dream that I know a bit too well.
In just a few days, it is my sister's 40th birthday. Birthdays were on her "favorite things" list and you could just see the pure joy on her face when it was her big day.
Unfortunately, my sister only had a chance to actually celebrate 12 of those on this Earth. When she was 10 years old, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known to many as ALL.
Cancer is a horrible word. It doesn't care who you are, how much money you make, what your job is, or if you are a kid who just started her young life and loves birthdays. Cancer will change your life and add a new filter that you will always view life from...forever. It will cause you to ask questions that no one will have answers to and make you question life in general. Cancer causes joy, sadness, anxiety, and a lot of worry. And, that is just a tiny glimpse of what life was like as I watched my little sister fight for almost three years with every ounce of strength and courage in her chemo and prednisone-filled body.
There is a bit of good that happened during that fight and moments where the smiles and laughter filled hospital rooms. We made balloons out of surgical gloves and hung them up in the hospital room. We learned that when my little sister was on prednisone, she could eat an entire large pizza all by herself. The rest of us were hungry, but that's what the vending machines were for down the hall at the hospital.
But one happy memory that stands out for our family was when my sister was picked to have her wish granted by Make-A-Wish. This was one of the last trips that she ever got to go on and it was only possible because people said "yes".
As I walked into Culver's the other day in Rochester, Minnesota and was trying to figure out if I should order a salad and be healthy or just order custard as my meal, I couldn't stop looking at the stars. At first, I thought they were just by the cash register but then I noticed they were on the Culver's sign, the wall beside me, in the entry way, above the doors, and covering an entire window. Every star indicated $1 that someone said "yes" to when they ordered.
Thank you. You don't know me and that $1 that you gave when you ordered your Flavor of the Day may not have meant too much at the time, but I just wanted to let you know that it WILL mean a lot to someone very soon. You will probably never meet the person who gets their wish, but I can tell you from my family's own experience, that it is a core memory that can never be recreated and was only possible because of people like you.
Thank you for saying, "yes".
How Many Wishes Are Granted By Make-A-Wish?
Our world is full of extremely brave kids who are fighting critical illnesses. According to the Make-A-Wish International website,
- every 25 seconds there is a child diagnosed with a critical illness that makes them eligible for a wish.
- Since 1980, more than 585,000 wishes have been granted to kids throughout the world.
Make-A-Wish America stated on their website that last week, 302 wishes were granted because of people who donated.
How Does A Child Get Nominated to Have a Wish Granted With Make-A-Wish?
According to the Make-A-Wish website, any child that has a critical illness that is between 2 1/2 and under 18 at the time of the referral, is eligible. Several individuals can refer the child to have their wish granted including medical professionals that have the child as a patient, parent or legal guardian, family member, or the potential wish child.
Do Families That Benefit From Make-A-Wish Pay For a Portion Of It?
I can tell you from our perspective, if payment was necessary, this would not have been possible for our family. There were multiple garbage bags full of hospital bills for my sister and hospital stays that lasted multiple weeks at a time. To say that money was tight back then was an understatement. Financial stress is high for any family going through a medical crisis. Make-A-Wish covers all expenses for the wishes that are granted, including travel.
Places in Minnesota with Free Stuff for you on your Birthday
Gallery Credit: Jessica On The Radio
