At six years old, Hadleigh Clay played his cello for a live audience of friends and family, in front of a huge fantasy-inspired castle at the Wētā Workshop Unleashed.
It was the culmination of lengthy planning – and an illustration of the joy and hope the Make A Wish New Zealand can bring to critically ill children and their families. Make A Wish is now desperately seeking to raise $500,000 to make wishes come true for the 281 kids on their waiting list.
Hadleigh’s Wish is a perfect example. It involved magic, imagination, hope, joy, and lasting memories – all the elements of a life-changing Wish. Hadleigh has intestinal failure and was referred to the Make A Wish by his doctors. A Wish isn’t a fleeting event, it’s a journey for critically ill children and there is anticipation that builds to make it special.
To begin, Make A Wish volunteers, known as Wish Fairies, visit the children to learn more about them and their most cherished Wish. Hadleigh, who lives in Hamilton, wanted something “magical”. He loves playing the cello and, like many children, wanted to go to Hogwarts.
Hadleigh’s Wish Fairies, Ellen and Michelle, identified the separate elements of Hadleigh’s Wish: the cello, the magical place, and the concert. They discussed it with Wish Wizard Alistair Stafford, who designed Hadleigh’s Wish.
“Alistair fully understood how Hadleigh’s little brain worked and managed to harness it,” says Hadleigh’s mum Laura.
The first part of Hadleigh’s Wish came true when he received a video from Hagrid at Platform 9¾, telling him they were going to have a concert: “He watched it over and over again,” Laura says. “He knew the train station was King’s Cross and he couldn’t work out how Hagrid was doing the video especially for him.”
Ellen the Wish Fairy returned with a bag containing what looked like Hogwarts’ mail, as well as tickets for staying at SkyCity in Auckland – a big difference from his usual trips to Auckland which were always to stay at Starship Hospital. Make-A-Wish also told him he’d be getting a special surprise, to build his excitement and to help him focus on something other than his illness.
“They made sure they gave him enough details to make him comfortable,” Laura says. “He doesn’t like surprises, but they managed to make it surprising while still keeping him comfortable.”
The Wish was for Hadleigh to perform a candlelight concert for his friends and family. Make-A-Wish picked a cello player to perform with him and, in a happy coincidence, it was Hadleigh’s cello teacher. Hadleigh then had the excitement of practising for his own concert other than focusing on his treatment.
By the time the concert came around, it had been a tough few weeks for Hadleigh and his parents. He was in and out of hospital with infections, and when the family went to Auckland the weekend of his Wish, he got sick. They were able to get out of Starship just in time for the surprise part of Hadleigh’s Wish: attending the last-ever 2Cellos concert in New Zealand.
Hadleigh even met the 2Cellos, Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser. His parents say Hadleigh “rocked out” at their concert and, at his own concert the next day, he was making small talk with the crowd, imitating Hauser.
“It was a really long build-up, but it gave us something really tangible to hold onto,” Laura says. “Hadleigh’s life is tough. There are lots of tough times. I didn’t expect it but going through the process was really cathartic and gave us things to look forward to.”
Hadleigh’s parents say the anticipation elements gave them something to hold onto when things were really hard. They say it was the best 48 hours of his life, for all three of them: “Even though he was sick underneath, he wasn’t showing it,” his dad Richard says. “It was quite powerful.”
Currently 281 critically ill children are waiting for their own wish to come true. Alan Brame, newly appointed CEO of Make A Wish, says it’s the longest waiting list we’ve ever had.
“There are children like five-year-old Caiden, who has a brain tumour and wishes for a wheelchair-accessible outdoor aviary where he can spend time with his birds,” he says. “That’s our drive, to grant children their wishes.”
Honour, a nine-year-old with sudden renal failure required an urgent kidney transplant. Luckily her mum was a match. Honour loves mini lop rabbits and her Wish is to have two of her own little friends to make taking her “yucky” medicine a little easier.
Bhavya is 17 and has spent her life in and out of hospital. Recently she had a liver transplant and wishes for a bedroom makeover. When she is not in hospital, she spends most of her time at home and dreams of a space where she can be a teenager again,” says Brame.
“That’s our mission, to grant children their Wishes. For these children, the joy of childhood is overshadowed by treatment plans, hospital visits and sleepless nights. A Wish revives a childhood stolen by critical illness – bringing light and joy to children and their loved ones and leaves a profound and lasting impact on all their lives.”
Hadleigh’s parents say they are “really grateful” to all the different people and organisations who were involved with making Hadleigh’s Wish such a joy.
“The power and effect on us as a family was quite profound,” says Laura. “People make a small donation and may never understand the impact that has on us as a family. It’s something that we as a family could not organise for him individually or pay for.”
To give a regular or one-off donation, visit makeawish.org.nz