Location: Soldier Field
Date: Saturday, May 03, 2014; 4:30-11:00 pm
It was time once again for ‘Wish Ball’, though unlike last year,
there was no requirement for a black suit.
The theme this year was sports related and so we had a more casual
attire. I took a bus to ‘Soldier Field’ with another volunteer
Michelle. We had met at this event last
year and reconnected after learning that both of us were going to be ‘Wish Ambassador Escorts’ for this year’s
event. We arrived and after checking-in
were directed to the volunteer wait area. After some time when nobody came to
get us, we asked Julie and learned that we were waiting in the wrong place and
they were in fact looking for us. Well,
not a very auspicious start, I thought and hoped that the rest of the evening
would be smoother.
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| The tent on the green |
I was introduced to Lucas, whom I
would be escorting this evening, and his mom and dad. I chatted with them and in a few short minutes knew that we were going to get along very well.
His dad in particular was an extremely friendly person and the more we
chatted, the more I liked this family. I
learned that Lucas has a younger brother and sister who were back home in the
suburbs. I asked him about his wish and
he was excited as he told me about his visit with the ‘Cubs’ during spring training a few years ago.
Also, since their camp is in Arizona, they also got to go to the ‘Grand Canyon’. He told me about how he wanted to become a ‘Film Director’ when he grows up. I said that while that was an excellent ambition,
he should really not try to grow up too fast.
I learned that he had a heart transplant at the age of 6 months…6
months! The girl whose heart he now
carried had passed away at a tender age of 2 years. But this was not what got me. Lucas is now 16. But to this day, after all of these years,
the girl’s family is still in touch with Lucas and in fact wanted to see his
pictures from this evening. And why not;
for he still keeps the memory of their daughter alive. I tell you what. No matter how difficult things may get sometimes, days…moments like these are what make me count my blessings every time. To hear stories like these, meet such people, is what makes every day special.
We went over to the ‘VIP Tent’ down on the playing field,
where high profiled guests were enjoying appetizers and drinks. But Lucas and I had a job to do – sell raffle
tickets. Even though I promised that we
would end up as the “winners”, I told
Lucas not to feel any pressure, and to have fun. Having said that, I also told him to mention
to the folks that the "winning ticket”
was with him! We started mingling with
the crowd and my tactic was to approach someone, introduce them to Lucas, and
then let him tell his story. Through
this, many bought tickets from us and everyone was at least intrigued by
him. Lucas’ dad - a huge sports
enthusiast - saw a former ‘White Sox’
player and got excited. Despite their ‘Cubs’ connection, they went and took pictures
with him. All of the other ‘Wish Ambassador’ kids were also doing
the same and soon all of them were gathered to take a picture with the chief emcee
for this evening, Seth Meyer. In fact,
he was fantastic and took multiple pictures with all 6 kids and their
families.
All of the kids were supposed to
be in a short skit with the band and so we went upstairs for a short meeting,
where each of them was told their duties.
I had a chance to look at all of the kids and they ranged from a
precocious little boy who had a heart conditions since he had been 2 months,
to a girl – now 20 – whose wish had been to meet the ‘Blackhawks’ executives and work in their office. Now that was a smart wish for someone who
will soon be entering the corporate world!
We had some time before the commencement of the program and so I
accompanied Lucas and his family to the visitor’s locker room. We met some people over there and even
managed to sell more tickets. Once
again, Lucas’ dad was like a kid in a candy store and took plenty of pictures
next to lockers carrying jersey’s and other memorabilia. Later, as we came upstairs, he saw some ex-basketball
players and took pictures with them. He
was brilliant and I liked him a lot by the minute.
The cocktail reception was on the
upper level and we went outside on the terrace to enjoy the beautiful
weather. It was now time for dinner and
Lucas’ performance, so I came down and handed him over to the MAW staff member, who
would be responsible for his logistics from now until the end of the
evening. I was done and before leaving
them, I exchanged contact information with Lucas’ dad. Everyone had settled down for dining - the room magically transformed from what we had seen earlier in the week - and I
found a spot to watch the bands performance, including Lucas on
percussion. I still had the proceeds
from the raffle sale and went to deposit them.
While we were nowhere close to the top grosser, we had raised $260, which
wasn’t too bad. I had dinner with the
other volunteers and while I could leave anytime I wanted, there was still
one more thing that I wanted to see.
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| Another memorable year |
From last year, I knew that one
of the most memorable sequences of the evening is a story told by a ‘Wish Family’. This year, it was the mother of a devilishly
handsome 7 year old blonde boy, who was one of the 6 ‘Wish Ambassadors. As I
stood listening to one of the most heartfelt speeches in recent memory, it was
brought home to me how much of an ordeal it really is for these families. The ‘Wish
Mom’ spoke about how it had all begun with a diagnosis when he was 2 years
old, to all of their early struggles, to often painful treatment, to a young
toddler pleading with her not to give him any more of the bitter medicine, to his heroic
victory over cancer, to the visit with the ‘Blackhawks’
team who made him an honorary team member.
There was not a single dry eye in the house and it is stories like these
which rejuvenate me and make me work harder to be a better person.
I stuck around to watch Seth
Meyer do his piece and while I could have gone for the after party in the tent,
it was time to leave. I have done my
share of projects – maybe other people’s share of projects as well – but ‘Wish Ball’ is special. It puts a face to what MAW is all about and
you meet someone like Lucas…and his family.
Tonight’s theme had been sports and as expected, all of the kids had a
wish related to one of Chicago’s sports teams.
I have always rooted for every team from Boston or New England
region. But seeing how these multi-millionaire
sportsmen treat these kids shows that while you may support a particular piece of
laundry to triumph on the field, off it they are all winners.
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