Maria Gracia’s WishMaker Story
Wish Mom, Volunteer, and Executive Director of Make-A-Wish Peru
We are proud to share a WishMaker’s story in her own words. Maria Gracia’s journey with Make-A-Wish began not in an office, but at her daughter’s bedside, as a parent navigating the unimaginable and discovering the life-changing impact of a wish. What started as gratitude for the compassion and commitment of volunteers grew into a personal calling, leading Maria from wish parent to volunteer, and ultimately to Executive Director of Make-A-Wish Peru. Her story is a powerful reminder of how one family’s wish experience can inspire a lifetime of helping to bring hope, strength, and joy to children with critical illnesses.
“My name is Maria Gracia. I am the Executive Director of Make-A-Wish Peru. But today I want to share the story of how I first got involved with Make-A-Wish as a wish mom and volunteer. When my daughter Vania was only 2 years old, she was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma, the most aggressive form of cancer. Upon hearing this dreadful news, I felt hopeless; in my country Peru, the hospitals could not offer my daughter any further treatment options. That’s when I started to consider seeking treatment abroad for my daughter. So with the whole family, we embarked on a journey to Argentina where Vania started a complex treatment programme, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant.
While I was standing by her side, in the middle of the bone marrow transplant, I promised her that one day I would take her to Disney World.
I reached out to the Make-A-Wish Foundation soon after learning about their mission.
Shortly after, Vania expressed her wish to go to the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando. From that day onwards, my life changed completely. I came from a corporate background, and seeing these volunteers do so much for you and your family without even knowing you was like a revelation. I then said to myself: “this is what I want to do now. I no longer want to sit at my office desk to work, I want to do things for people”.
Against all odds, Vania made her recovery, and we returned to Peru as a family. I didn’t wait a minute longer before contacting Make-A-Wish Peru to become a volunteer. As a volunteer, I met different members of the organization. One day, I learnt that the CEO had resigned, and I thought to myself “this position is for me”. At the time, I had been volunteering for 6 years, and witnessed the incredible growth of Make-A-Wish Peru. It started with twenty, thirty wishes a year, and it kept going up. In 2023 we granted wishes to 420 children and this year the goal is to surpass 480 wishes. Although our growth has been so spectacular, there are still many more children waiting for their wishes to be granted.
I think wishes seek to heal children’s soul, provide a welcome distraction from their critical illness or life-threatening condition, to give them back what they are losing, which is joy, wonder and hope. A child expecting to receive something they always wished for will have a better attitude towards their medical treatment, which is what we aim to provide to them.
Thank you!
With love from Lima, Peru.”
