My family is definitely unique. I am the second eldest of 10 children, two girls and eight boys aged 4 to 25, which certainly makes us stand out. We were an average sized family with three kids until I was 8, when my parents decided to open our home to foster children. The first little boy who came to us was 2½ years old and was only supposed to stay for two weeks. We celebrated his 14th “homecoming” this past August. Since then, we have adopted 6 more children, making ours the loudest, most exciting, and also probably the happiest, house on the block.

Several years ago we learned that two of my adopted brothers, who shared the same biological parents, had a disease called Duchene’s Muscular Dystrophy. When their youngest brother was born 4 years ago he was also diagnosed with DMD, and was finally moved into our home when he was 1½. DMD is a life-limiting illness, and after the diagnosis it seemed like each day brought new challenges not faced by most families. But each day also brought countless joys, and perhaps more than most families we realized the importance of cherishing every moment we had together.

Because of their diagnosis three of my brothers are “wish kids,” and the eldest of the three made his wish of a trip to Walt Disney World three years ago. Words can’t quite describe what it means for a family to see a wish come true. Thanks to Make-a-Wish I saw my brother become a King. For eight days he was the center of attention wherever he went. Thanks to make-a-wishmy second wish brother is climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro. He is losing his ability to walk, but in the hands of his wish-maker his picture will make it to the top, and when they arrive his will be the brightest spirit there. Thanks to Make-a-Wish we have been given chances to forget about the challenges we face each day and focus all of our attention on enjoying the time we have together.

My family’s time together is limited, but Make-a-Wish has helped make sure that we have memories that can be cherished for a lifetime. For us these are priceless, and there could be no greater gift.