LIGHT THE CANDLES

Make-A-Wish celebrates four decades of bringing joy to critically ill children. It all started here

Hannah Benkel’s birthday wish for an Arizona nonprofit organization commemorating 40 years of bringing joy to critically ill kids is wise beyond her 23 years.

“My wish would be for Make-A-Wish to continue to be a beacon of genuine charity,” the Phoenix woman says. “Every dollar in is a dollar out, completely clean of corporate greed or personal gain. It’s extremely admirable.” Benkel is among 6,470 young Arizonans who since 1980 have been given something to look forward to by Make-A-Wish Arizona. The nation’s founding Text by JANIE MAGRUDER ❖ Photos by TINA CELLE and courtesy MAKE-A-WISH ARIZONA

Chris Greicius, the first Wish Kid, received a “Smokey Bear” hat and a badge, becoming Arizona’s first and only honorary DPS officer. He passed away four days later with leukemia

chapter, it is the driving force behind the 1983 incorporation of Make-A-Wish America, the national headquarters in Phoenix, and the subsequent formation of 60 chapters around the country. Additionally, Make-A-Wish International serves children in more than 50 countries on five continents.

All told, 334,905 wishes have been granted to children in the United States with cancer, cystic fibrosis, kidney disorders, congenital heart defects and other medical calamities. It’s an exact number Richard Davis, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish America, insists upon because every wish, every child, matters.

“We ask people, ‘What would you do for a child whom you knew was critically ill?” Davis says. “The answer is always, ‘anything.’ And we say, ‘Great. You’ve come to the right place.’”

Make-A-Wish Arizona began because Chris Greicius wanted to be a cop. The 4-year-old Phoenix boy was diagnosed with leukemia in

1977 and had just a 50 percent chance of survival with treatment. His mom vowed to make his remaining days matter.

“We visited Old Tucson a couple of times a month,” says Linda Pauling, whose son always wore his sheriff’s outfit, toy gun belt and officer’s hat. “The cowboys got to know about him and picked him out of the crowd to help with the gunfights.”

When U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent Tommy Austin heard about the sick boy and his desire to “catch bad guys,” he jumped into action. Austin arranged with Arizona Department of Public Safety officer Ron Cox to fly Chris in a helicopter from Scottsdale Memorial Hospital to DPS for a tour. The boy received a “Smokey Bear” hat and a badge, becoming Arizona’s first and only honorary DPS officer. A child-sized DPS uniform and motorcycle officer’s wings were rushed to Chris’ hospital room, where he died four days later.

“The founders said, ‘There have to be other kids out there like Chris. Let’s go find them,’” says Elizabeth Reich, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Arizona.

The first donation, from a grocery store manager, was $15, and a year later, $2,000 had been collected, enough to grant another wish. It went to Poncho “Bopsy” Salazar, who got to be a fireman, visit Disneyland and ride in a hot-air balloon.

“Linda’s willingness to have Chris’ story told created a movement that changed hundreds of thousands of lives,” Davis says. “Adults tend to want to engineer a child’s wish, but Linda never messed that up. Chris’ wish was what it became. She sat back and let them do it.” Make-A-Wish relies on medical professionals to refer children ages 2 to 18 who haven’t received a wish from another organization. A misperception is that only terminally ill children qualify, but 70 percent of wish kids do survive their illnesses.

Wish team volunteers meet with eligible children and their families to ask not ‘What is your wish?’ but ‘Why is it your wish?’ There are five wish categories—to be, have, meet, go or give—the latter added after Hurricane Katrina.

“Since then, more children have opted to give their wishes to others,” Reich says. “These kids have a level of maturity that we’ve never seen before.”

An added benefit is that, through the wish-granting, children see how many strangers— community members, donors, volunteers—care.

And just as children are different, so are their wishes. Omar hugged a penguin at Sea World. Paula received multiyear family memberships from the Prescott YMCA to swim year-round. Tamyka, whose teeth were damaged by

Linda Pauling's son Chris Greicius was the first Wish Kid. What would Chris have to say about all of this? “Neato!”

Jazmin was blessed by Pope Francis and had her last rites administered by a cardinal in St. Peter’s Square

sickle cell disease, got braces, and smiled. William caught a ride in a classic automobile to the Barrett-Jackson Auction with author Clive Cussler. Darrius chased “bad guys” with Arizona Diamondbacks staff, a stunt that ended before a cheering crowd in Chase Field. Jazmin was blessed by Pope Francis and had her last rites administered by a cardinal in St. Peter’s Square.

“The anticipation of the wish sustains them,” says Reich, noting community partners of all types step up to help them come true.

In 2011, Benkel was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 14. She was an avid fan of CNN’s Parts Unknown and the late Anthony Bourdain. When Make-AWish offered her a sky’sthe-limit opportunity, “My dad made it clear I could ask for something we couldn’t do ourselves.”

She and her family were flown to New York City, where they met Bourdain at Le Bernardin, a Michelin three-star restaurant in Manhattan. They talked about the role of food in culture and making the world a better place, not about her cancer.

“He was one of the most endearing, genuine people, and he didn’t treat me like I was sick,” says Benkel, now a sous chef at The Mission in Scottsdale. “He was a big role model for me, and I need to be what he was to me for someone else.”

For more than 20 years, Gabe Trujillo has been a quadriplegic, having been diagnosed as a teenager with a rare form of Hopkins syndrome, a neurologic disorder triggered by severe asthma. Trujillo wished to meet the stars and cast of The X-Files, a wish that was fulfilled, and he also went on backstage tours of several Los Angeles studios.

He pursued a journalism degree at Arizona State University and is now a senior digital video producer at KPNX-TV.

“Make-A-Wish gives kids and families who, almost on a daily basis, are going through life-changing decisions and activities the ability not to think about doctors, surgeries, what it’s going to be like as a kid in a wheelchair,” says Trujillo, 36.

The next 40 years of Make-A-Wish will be driven by critically ill children giving their wishes to others whom they feel need it more, Reich says. Her vision is that the wish of every eligible child in Arizona be granted within the coming decade.

Linda Pauling knows what the little boy who started it all would think of that. “He’d throw up his arms and shout his favorite word. ‘Neato!’” ❖

LEFT; Hannah Benkel, sous chef at The Mission and former Wish Kid. RIGHT; Elizabeth Reich, president and CEO of MakeA-Wish Arizona

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