By Emlen L., whose wish to go rafting in the Grand Canyon was granted through Make-A-Wish® in collaboration with Arizona River Runners. Emlen did a 3 Day Escape trip with his brother and dad.
When I was first given the opportunity to be granted a wish through Make-A-Wish® Massachusetts and Rhode Island, lots of ideas went through my head. I landed on the thought of traveling to a National Park. I’ve always loved how people give their time to appreciate nature and work so hard to preserve it. I chose to go rafting in the Grand Canyon because I wanted to make new memories in a place I never thought I would visit.
My wish was awesome. I experienced so many things that I would never have fathomed. It made me realize how much I should appreciate the earth. What I especially liked was the fact that nobody had any cell service for the time we were in the Canyon, so we could all fully take in every last bit of it.
Arizona River Runners (ARR) did an incredible job with everything. Not once did I feel unsure about what was happening, and the ARR team was amazing. Everyone was so welcoming—I felt like I was a part of one big family. It was great to meet so many different people from different places while being in one of the most beautiful locations on earth. I love how towards the end of the trip everyone became so close (And I’m still in contact with some of the people that I met that week!). There were so many things that we did on our trip that I never thought I would do in my life, like river rafting, riding a horse, visiting the ranch, and more. I created some of the best memories that I will never forget. It was a great Make-A-Wish experience and I’m so thankful that ARR helped make my wish come true.
My wish was perfect because I was outside, seeing new things, while celebrating all the things I’ve achieved in my life. I’ve never been fully aware of how much effort I put into my day-to-day health. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a part of my normal life, but my family members are the ones who really have noticed the work I’ve put in. They’re the ones who helped me through my own personal struggles with my illness. The time commitment, reminding me to take my pills, and balancing a social life with CF. I saw this trip as not only a celebration of me, but also my family. It helped me realize how much they have influenced and supported me to stay the healthiest I can be. This trip with ARR helped us connect in ways we would not have in our “regular” everyday world.
I love how Make-A-Wish gives kids like me opportunities to experience something they normally wouldn’t be able to do. It really is special and I’m so grateful to everyone who came together to help grant my wish.
Thank you for bringing my family and me into this other worldly, magical trip.
– Emlen L., 17
Massachusetts
To learn more about the Make-A-Wish mission of creating life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses, and to get involved with your local Make-A-Wish chapter, visit www.wish.org.
