Happy Friday, everyone! This weekend has big plans for all of us fans here at Kids Wish Network. We are so excited to go to see the newly released action film, The Expendables 2,starring two of our very favorite roundhouse-kicking superstars: Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris! If you are as big a fan of these two action heroes
In 2007, Hannah was diagnosed with Vagal Mediated Bradycardia, a condition in which her heart slows and sometimes stops altogether. Hannah has undergone surgery to implant a pacemaker in her chest to monitor her heart rate and stimulate her heart when its beating slows too much. In addition, Hannah also suffers from Turner Syndrome, a
In 2006, while riding his bicycle, Brandon was hit by a car. At a doctor’s follow up, it was discovered that Brandon had a cystic brain lesion. The location of the lesion made surgery to remove it impossible. Because of the lesion, Brandon’s brain has stopped growing, causing him developmental delays. He was referred to
Young Samantha of New Berlin is an outgoing teen, an aspiring actress and a talented singer. She dreams of one day performing on stage just like her favorite actress and singer, Idina Menzel, a Tony Award winner from Broadway’s smash hit, Wicked. Another dream of Samantha’s was just to meet her idol in person and,
At the U.S. premiere of the fifth film of the Harry Potter series The Order of the Phoenix, the very bright and bubbly Texan, Diana, received a special wish! In 2007, Diana was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which is a cancer of the lymphatic system. Soon afterwards, she began undergoing intense and aggressive chemotherapy treatments. Diana had
Diane has been a fan of Johnny Depp for almost as long as she can remember. “I’ve been obsessed with him!” she said, recalling when she got the first season of 21 Jump Street on DVD. Since then, she’s grown even more enamored with the actor over the years, never missing any of his films. “He’s awesome
Jazzy is an incredibly sweet teenager who is suffering from kidney failure. This brave girl has been through a great deal in her life and struggles daily with her condition. Jazzy must visit her doctors frequently and endures painful dialysis treatments three times a week. She will need these treatments for the rest of her
When he was just six, Star Wars fan Zachary began experiencing unexplained muscle mass loss. Doctors discovered that Zachary was suffering from Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, one of the most progressive forms of muscular dystrophy, and is characterized by extremely rapid deterioration of the muscles. The disease begins by primarily affecting the legs and pelvis and
In 2004 Kids Wish Network granted the wish of Alexandra, a Harry Potter fan suffering from spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Spina bifida is a birth defect that occurs when a portion of the spinal column fails to develop and close properly, and hydrocephalus is a condition in which the cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the skull. She has endured many surgeries
In the first three years of Wendell’s life, he underwent three relatively new open-heart procedures to try to correct a severe defect known as hypo-plastic left heart syndrome, which means the left side of his heart didn’t develop. Now at age five and beating the odds, Wendell has taught himself to talk, is in his
Mara called her son, Kenney, “Mr. Popular” because he is so friendly and outgoing. “He just always has a smile on his face,” she said. This positive attitude is remarkable for an eight-year-old who has undergone many surgeries. Kenney suffers from spina bifida and hydrocephalus, which requires a shunt to drain excess fluid and forces
In 2001, Julia Roberts made a little girl named Vanessa feel like a star on her wish. Julia gave the starstruck little girl a private tour of the studio she was filming in and even introduced Vanessa to her friend Kirsten Dunst, who was filming Spiderman on a nearby set.