Ally’s
“I knew she and her
Wish F
family were okay in terms of basic needs – food, shelter, and clothing. But what about hope and joy?”
by Diane Ciarloni | photos courtesy of Ally’s Wish
lower Mound resident Missy Phipps knew Allyson Hendrickson. But she didn’t really know her. The two ladies attended the same church, and they were quick to nod and smile at one another at Sunday services. Missy knew Allyson was married with three little boys, and she knew Ally had cancer.
as memories and then move to make
“The part about the cancer really
a loose plan. They opened their energy
weighed on me,” she recalled. “I mean, I knew she and her family were okay in
terms of basic needs – food, shelter, and clothing. But what about hope and joy?
establish time for making fun memories All the while, she couldn’t stop thinking
wish grantee.
about Allyson.
about hospitals, treatments that made her
God laid on my heart the missing puzzle.
strongest memories of their mom be
Allyson,” she continued. “All of a sudden,
miserable, and her bald head? That just
It was fun memories! The same kind I
Phipps continued tending to her
successful real estate business with Keller Williams as well as her four children,
daughters Natalie and Madeline and twins Adysson and Rocco. She’s high-energy and always busy, but she never fails to 26 | LIFE IN CASTLE HILLS | APRIL 2021
They brainstormed. They came up with
reserves, and they went to work, selecting
“I still couldn’t shake the feeling about
shake the feeling.”
Phipps called three like-minded friends.
with her kids.
And those three little boys. Would their
didn’t seem right to me, and I couldn’t
those wishes happen.”
make with my kiddos. Allyson was a young mother who cherished her kids. But she was dying, and she would never see
them grow up. She was going to leave
this world, and their most vivid memories would be what I mentioned earlier –
hospitals, no hair, and horrible treatments. I knew there must be a way to find out
what these young moms wished to leave
Allyson Hendrickson as their first
Paperwork was drawn up, and Ally’s Wish was born as a non-profit corporation
organized and operated exclusively for
charitable purposes. The specific purpose is to provide a last “wish” to young,
terminally ill mothers with small children. The goal is to create a memory for the
family that will last a lifetime. The road to
implementing these wishes is through the provision of services, gifts, transportation, lodging, or any other “wish” the mother
may express. The 501c3 organization caps each wish at $5,000 and secures money through fundraising and donations.
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