Michael’s wish was to go to Wimbledon, the “Cadillac of all tennis tournaments.” Michael plays on the James B. Hunt school tennis team, and was interested in seeing Wimbledon in person.
Michael’s favorite pastimes are listening to music, playing computer games, and you guessed it…playing and watching tennis! Daniel, Michael’s older brother, played tennis in high school and taught Michael everything that he knows about the game.
With the help of my dear friend Bill Smith in Burlington, NC and Stan Smith in England, Michael and his family were able to go to Wimbledon, meet several tennis celebrities and enjoy a tour of Great Britain.
Please consider granting a Wish for a Make a Wish child – if you’re interested in learning more please contact Jim.
Make-A-Wish friends
You promised an “over the top” wish and with all the uncertainties prior to the trip, I really doubted that it would actually happen. However, I found that Disney World does NOT have exclusive rights to “magic.” Once we arrived in London and got into the “wish,” the amount of behind the scenes work was evident. To see Michael at Wimbledon was a joy. He was literally “hopping around” with excitement. The visit with Stan Smith and his event organizers was quite memorable, especially because of his previous involvement with the founder of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and his Christian convictions. In retrospect, Michael has mentioned that it was better for him to have been there for the first day of Wimbledon than the finals because he was able to see so many great players in action. Had he only attended the finals, he would have seen so few players.
All of the “extras” in London were terrific! The London office is to be commended for their part in planning / supporting Michael’s wish. We especially enjoyed the Stonehenge tour and the river cruise. The hotel and daily breakfast was perfect. We were provided enough funds to be able to do and see everything we could have wanted, plus some extra for Michael to purchase some Wimbledon memorabilia. He ended up with a shirt, wind breaker, key chain and towel (the official Wimbledon towel that the players used during the tournament). Stan Smith gave him an autographed ball and back pack.
We are grateful for the timing of the trip as well. Michael’s father was in-between treatments and was actually feeling very well during the trip. He has now begun a clinical trial, which limits his ability to travel at all because of the potential side effects. This trip was an opportunity for our family to create memories that will remain with us for many years to come.
Thank you for making Michael’s dream become our new family memories.
-Stephanie J.