A Make-A-Wish volunteer who lives hundreds of miles from Lubbock helped to make a local toddler’s wish come true. Melina, who’s from Plainview, wished for an iPad. Make-A-Wish granted her wish at the Ronald McDonald House Houston, where Melina and her family were staying while she received medical treatment at a nearby hospital.
“(Make-A-Wish) just sent out an email saying hey, last minute, we need some people to help with the wish on Sunday evening and it just so happened to be the Sunday of the Super Bowl,” Mary Beth Gilbert told EverythingLubbock.com from Houston via Skype. “It’s just neat to see the chapters work together, and I’ve seen that on several other wishes, to help each other out to make things happen for these kids.”
Gilbert, who lives in the Houston area, said she’s been volunteering for Make-A-Wish since the late 90s.
“What I found working with kids is the resilience that they have, that I could never imagine having in the face of some of the battles that they are fighting,” she said. “You really appreciate when you have little problems in your life, you realize how little they are when you meet these families.”
Gilbert said Melina’s wish included more than an iPad. The toddler had recently celebrated her fourth birthday so balloons, cupcakes and a visit from her favorite princess were part of the surprise.
“She got the iPad but she also got maybe, probably like 10 other presents,” said Gilbert. “We just had a little birthday party for her, it was a lot of fun.”
Even though Gilbert hadn’t met Melina previously, she said she was happy to help bring a smile to her face.
“It was nice for her to have a birthday party when she was so far away from home.”
To learn more about Make-A-Wish, including volunteer opportunities, call the Lubbock office at (806) 785-9474.
Watch the associated video see more from Melina’s wish.
