In late November 2014, we completed our 20,000th dream: that of 34-year-old California resident, Yvonne. With a prognosis of fewer than six months in her battle with breast cancer, this young wife and mother of two had never had the resources necessary to take her family on any sort of special getaway.
A lover of the ocean and sea creatures, Yvonne longed to escape the daily confines of her illness and visit the coast with her family. Her dream was to visit San Diego where her children could experience a day at SeaWorld and she could feel the ocean breeze against her face.
Dream Foundation provided Yvonne with tickets not just to SeaWorld, but also the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, as well as three relaxing nights at the Hilton Grand Vacation Pacific Palisades resort, and a professional photographer to capture their family memories.
“It was fabulous, better than anything we could have asked for,” said Yvonne’s husband Michael after the trip. “The kids got to pet the dolphins. The hotel was so nice. We didn’t expect any of that.”
What dreams do for individuals like Yvonne is allow them the chance to dream again and create memories and experience moments that are among life’s most important, for themselves but also for their loved ones. Dream Foundation is the only national dream-granting organization for adults and their families battling life-threatening illness. Since 1994, we have served the final dreams of more than 20,000 deserving men and women across all 50 states. Our work expands the service and scope of palliative care: to care without curing by providing comfort and closure to the end-of-life journey.
Year after year, we continue to see a rise in dream requests, and our goal is to continue to be a resource for those in need. When you make a contribution to Dream Foundation, your gift directly impacts a terminally ill adult in the greatest of need. Helping someone realize a final dream at such a critical time can truly make a difference in his or her life—and by extension of that—the lives of his or her loved ones, caregivers and communities.
Dream Foundation 20,000th Dream Celebration
Staff of Dream Foundation celebrates Yvonne
Photo credit: Isaac Hernández for Dream Foundation