A special wish comes true
By Daniel Arens
One boy in Hazen came home from a friend’s house (while riding in a fire truck) to find the surprise of a lifetime.
Charlie Wanzek, 9, decided in August he wanted a hot tub. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his dream became a reality this Sunday.
Charlie was diagnosed with leukemia at the end of November 2017. Since then, he and his family have embarked on the long and difficult road to recovery, a road that the support of friends, community members and organization like Make-A-Wish have helped make easier.
In June, Charlie’s mother Angela applied for the Make-A-Wish program, with assistance from wish coordinators Kelly Braun and Markus Powell. Once his application was accepted, a package was sent to determine what gift Charlie might want to have.
“We were talking about it, and about a bunch of things, and Charlie suddenly said, ‘I want a hot tub’,” Angela recalled.
Although the request seemed to come out of nowhere, once she realized this was Charlie’s big wish, she decided it was something she needed to pursue.
“You know, it’s what he really wants, that’s what I’m gonna get,” she said.
