Delivered Nik Wishes

WISH: Hawaii

My trip from Nik's Wish meant a lot to me especially after losing my mom the year before. The trip was very relaxing due to the point I zoned out twice.

Wish: Corgi Puppy

Thanks to Nik's Wish, I feel alive again! The moment they called me to inform me that my wish for a puppy Pembroke Welsh Corgi was granted was truly magical. Having a puppy in my life is an incredibly heartwarming experience, filled with unconditional love and joy. It's no wonder I named her Eudora, which means "Excellent gift" in Greek, as she truly is a precious gift from Nik's Wish. My bond with Eudora will bring me countless moments of happiness and companionship for years to come!

Wish: Skydive Hawaii

Sawyer said that yesterday was one the best experiences of his life!!!! So hard to believe he was hooked up to six lines of chemo less than 6 months ago! What an amazing gift for me as his mom, to see life in his face!!!!!! Forever grateful.--

Wish: Big Cancer logo and gaming computer

Hi, my name is Bilal and I'm beyond grateful for this wish. I am able to work on my clothing brand and expand my knowledge on PC. This wish put me in a position to complete my dream!

Wish: Universal Studios

I want to thank Nik's Wish for granting my wish. My wish meant a lot to me because me and my family got to spend a lot of time together making memories that we will talk about in the future. It was nice to visit California for the first time with my siblings and go to Universal Studios and on the Hollywood Bus Tour, it was so good to experience a different place. This has been the highlight of my year of ups and downs. I thank you guys so much!

Wish: Taylor Swift Concert

The day started amazingly and ended even better. We danced, sang, yelled, ate, and partied, but most of all, we had the TIME OF OUR LIVES!!! Let me backtrack.

When I got the phone call that I was, in fact, going to a Taylor Swift concert, my jaw HIT THE FLOOR. I couldn't believe it was true! It was my number one wish, so that is what I asked for. Thanks to the hard work of many people, they found a super precious person that would donate tickets in a SUITE!! The concert would be in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles, at SOFI stadium. We would be staying for 5 days in total! They asked me what I wanted to do on my trip besides the concert, but I was just so excited to be going to California, since I had never been before, and to see Taylor Swift, I could hardly think of things!!

We arrived on Tuesday morning, touring the games and everything the hotel offered, like free bikes or beach stuff, then got a record and sat on the patio to watch the sunset.

On Wednesday it was the day of the CONCERT!! And we were SO SO SO BEYOND READY. We had pre-prepared our outfits. I was going to wear white boots, an "All Too Well" T-Shirt and I had a homemade bedazzled back, pink guitar earrings, and a red hat! And my mom was wearing jeans, and sparkly, bedazzled shoes! I had the rest of my jewelry thanks to Mrs. Madison and our Niks wish box! She made us a few friendship bracelets each which we LOVED and got to share and pass around, and then I sported my Niks wish bracelet! My Dad was our taxi cab driver, which we are so thankful for because the traffic that day blew my mind! We finally got to the stadium and I could not believe how huge it was! I wanted everything to be a surprise so I tried to do as little Google searching as possible. We, of course, had to take pictures with the SOFI stadium sign and have a little photo shoot lol. Now we were on to find our suite!! I could not describe the excitement that was building in me, seeing how we were at SOFI stadium, hours away from seeing MS. TAYLOR SWIFT HERSELF, not to mention in SUITE SEATS!! As soon as we got into our suite, we were showered with love and we felt so included in everything. They swapped out friendship bracelets with us and told us to get anything we like to eat, I was included in group chats even before I met these people and that made me feel special and like I was a part of the friend group, and we even got in on the suite photo! They had so many different arrays of food, like chicken, fruit, salad, sandwiches, and multiple others. Me and my mom then went and looked around downstairs where they were selling the merch, but all the lines were so long, we decided not to get one. So we just went back up and socialized. Then the concert started! The opening act was HAIM and Gayle, and then we went into Taylor. She played songs like "Lover", "You Belong With Me", "Tolerate It", "Delicate", "Wildest Dreams", and "Lavender Haze". They even played one of my all-time favorite songs, "All Too Well", but not just the regular version, THE TEN MINUTE VERSION. I get chills thinking of it now because of how much I enjoyed it. She also played "August", which is ranked up there in my favorite songs. I screamed and danced to all the songs I knew and danced to the ones I did not! There was not one song I didn't have a good time listening to. We also learned something that night! I did not know that "Betty" was from a male perspective! We took so many photos and videos that night, and I am glad because I like to re-watch the videos and look at all the photos of the suite and relive those moments when it gets things get quiet.

On Thursday, we got up and we went into Hollywood! We were going to the Celebrity TMZ Bus tour and on our way, we saw multiple peoples stars like Dick Wolf, Ice T, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves from Speed, Jane Seymour from Dr.Quinn Medicine Woman, which was such a staple growing up, Betty White and Billy Joel, and that was just some of them! We had such a good time finding stars and taking pictures with them. On the bus tour, they said Vanna White jumped on the bus with her son one day! Then we went shopping, and we got multiple things to remember our trip by, like mugs, cups, and stickers!! Then we had a ghost tour around some parts of Hollywood! We got multiple looks at the Hollywood sign and heard about all kinds of murders and scary things. Then, on our way home we went to look at the Fast and the Furious house and got some pictures of it! What a staple! We finished off the night by making smores in one of the hotel's many firepits!

On Friday, we had tickets to the Aquarium of the Pacific! What a good time that was!! We saw many things like special kinds of fish, sea turtles, stingrays, and a small shark all cohabitating in the same tank! We also saw many things like different types of starfish and sea urchins, and sea cucumbers!! Then we walked around a little bit and went to get lunch! Afterward, we went to see the Golden Girl's house and saw the house where my Grandpa was raised. We finished our last night in California at the Santa Monica Pier riding the Ferris Wheel, walking around listening to all the people play instruments, watching people fish and watching the sunset, playing in the arcade like kids, and listening to karaoke while eating on the pier!

This trip meant so much to me because otherwise, I wouldn't have got to experience this trip without Nik's Wish. I may have never gotten a chance to go to California or a Taylor Swift concert if it weren't for Nik's wish!! We can go to the park, or the beach close by sometimes, but if we want to go somewhere big, like CALIFORNIA, it is going to take at least 6 months to a year of saving up, but Nik's Wish made it possible QUICK. It was also nice to be able to get away and get out of the city limits, and not have to think about anything except gorgeous beaches, movie stars, pretty sunsets, and TAYLOR SWIFT!!!!! We grew closer as a family with the bus tours, the Santa Monica Pier and the arcade, the concert, and individuals when we sat by ourselves in the plane, it helped me in my social skills to go in the suite and meet new people, and I and Taylor Swift grew closer by me seeing her at the concert ;))

We are extremely grateful for Nik's wish for all you do, and for making my dream come true!!

WISH: Hawaii

Kyle is relaxing like I haven't seen him in a long time

Wish: Disney with his daughter

Lane said it meant being able to take Aubrey on her first plane ride with him , seeing the excitement on her face when they walked around the corner and seen the castle for the first time . Being able to take the trip with her creating wonderful memories that she will remember for the rest of her life . Lane could have picked any wish but he wanted to do this for her . This trip was amazing for both of them especially since we didn't get good news on Tuesday . From the bottom of our hearts we thank Niks Wish

Wish: Hawaii Honeymoon

This trip meant to me that all my perseverance through out my cancer diagnosis, treatment, relapse, and further treatment was worth it! It is a reminder that despite the horrible things a person mite go through, they can still see the beautiful parts of the world and continue to push forward! It has truly been the most amazing experience that I've had so far! I would close my eyes, breath, and take it all in. I could see before me in Hawaii, all the wile feeling so grateful and blessed to be standing somewhere that I at one point I thought I would never get tot chance to go! This trip for me defined "keep pushing forward, no matter the obstacles because you never know where life may take you!

It is very surreal thinking back to moments in my treatment recovering from surgery where I couldn't even walk, to then be swimming with the wild dolphins, riding UTVs in Kualoa Ranch, walking up a pat to swim under a waterfall, and walking around all day touring Pearl Harbot!

We are so extremely grateful to Nik's Wish and the Anna Miller Foundation. What you all do is amazing and a blessing.

Skydiving in Hawaii

After a year of battling cancer and losing my mom to the same illness only weeks after I was diagnosed, myself and my family were drained on all fronts. We'd forgotten what life was like before and without cancer. This trip to Hawaii gave us the chance to reconnect with ourselves and each other, to remember what it feels like to live without illness, and to realize that despite the trauma cancer had caused, we owe so much to the experience because a great deal was gained from this battle. We learned how strong we really are and how fragile life can be which is why it is so important to live every day to the fullest. That's why we wished to have the adventure of a lifetime in Hawaii. Moreover, that's why I wished to skydive in one of the most beautiful places on earth because as my skydiving instructor perfectly said, it was my final "screw you, I won" to cancer.

Golfing in Hawaii

Max was having muscle soreness and breathing issues. The symptoms worsened and he was diagnosed. He had to take a medical leave from the Univ. of Central Florida, where he was studying to become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Max loves golf. Due to treatment, he had to miss going to the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament. Even though Max has been strong and upbeat during this whole process, we could see that he was upset that he was going to have to miss out . We currently live in Orlando, FL, but Max was born in Rockford, IL. His mom and I were raised down the road in Rochelle, IL. (Max's dad)

Cali Wish

Before I was diagnosed with cancer, a typical week for me included attending school, being highly involved with school activities: cheerleading, softball, clubs including officer positions and 4H. I have not been able to participate in life like my peers. Because of my illness, my parents missed a lot of work. They've made sacrifices to support and care for me. While I still have a ways to go, I am making good strides at getting better. A family vacation would be healing for my family.

Disney Wish

After a month of unsolved "illness" changed my life forever when a CT scan revealed I had a mass in my brain. With my diagnosis my life was turned upside down. My mom is truly the hero. This would not only make my dream of going to Walt Disney World come true but give me an opportunity to thank my mom in a way I never could on my own.
This past year has been more than difficult. Nik's Wish entered my life at a time I could no longer find that great joy. Nik's Wish gave me something to look forward to on my most challenging days. Some people look for the light at the tunnel but because of the wonderful Nik's Wish community I've been looking for the castle at the end of Main Street.

Nik's Wish is full of beautiful angels that my family and I are beyond grateful for. Thank you for all that you've done to bring light into my life. This foundation is unbelievable. I will never forget this experience and always hold it so close to my heart. Thank you will never be enough.

Disney Wish

Kimberlee just graduated from Rutgers with a degree in Social Work, and is scheduled to begin working for child care services-- and now there is no telling when that will begin. For the last year and 1/2 she has undergone treatment, including a stem cell transplant. In between all this she just lost her father who was also going through Multiple Myeloma. I would love to see her dream of seeing Disney at Christmas come true. (Kimberlee's mom)

We had a wonderful trip in Disney last week, thanks to the Nikolas Ritschel Foundation!

It was a truly amazing week that breathed some new life into all of us. I'm so grateful that I got to share it with my mom, Aunt Kathy, and Tina. A huge thank you to my wish coordinator Denise for organizing and putting together a perfect trip.

Hiking in Hawaii

I was in my last month of my freshmen year at college when I finally saw a doctor for the pain and swelling in my left shoulder. I found out that I had osteosarcoma. I have always loved exploring and being outside and connecting with nature, and my cancer has, for a long time, deprived me of the opportunity to do so. My parents, who have obviously been through all the hardships of treatment along with me, could really use a relaxing vacation somewhere warm...