When representatives of the Make-A-Wish Foundation first came to Southampton resident and business owner Bob Moulton in 1998 about granting a wish for his youngest child, Kelly, he said he couldn't even talk to them.
"I told them we didn't need Make-A-Wish," he said," and I told them to give it to someone who was underprivileged."
"We were so upset and overwhelmed," added Debbie Moulton, Kelly's mother. Learning that her 7-year-old daughter, who had been born with a defective heart, had also been diagnosed with cancer, she said, was "like being smacked in the face."
When Kelly learned, however, that the organization would grant any wish that she wanted, "it gave this little girl so much hope and so much to look forward to," Ms. Moulton said. "Every morning she woke up and asked us what she should do."
Ultimately, Kelly decided to go to Disney World to "meet the real Cinderella and go to the real Cinderella castle," her father said.
"I didn't realize how much I needed it, just going through all the worry," he said. "We all needed it, as a family."
When she first met the Make-A-Wish people and learned she could have any wish, Kelly said, she was "so happy. It was like, you're so sad, so depressed-you're a little kid and you don't understand what's going on, and then they come to you and say you can have anything. You can forget about your illness for a week. It was amazing-I loved it," she said.
Although there is a common misconception that Make-A-Wish grants wishes only to the terminally ill, Kelly, now 15, is living testimony that the foundation also grants the wishes of those who conquer illness as well.
And now, Kelly gives back to the organization that helped her and her family through their most difficult time. Kelly volunteers for the organization, speaking at events ranging from meetings with 10 people to black-tie events attended by up to 500 people.
"I tell them how great and wonderful it is," she says.
It's common for former wish recipients to want to give back to the organization, according to Patricia Gambale, manager of marketing and communications at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York.
"I would say we've had several children who come back to volunteer," she said. "We have two staff members who were wish children. Many times after they have their wish granted they want to stay involved."
She tells her story and tells it in a moving and compelling way," Ms.Gambale added. "When she tells you her wish story, she tells it like it happened yesterday. She's an amazing, brave, and strong girl."
Three years ago, Mr. Moulton decided it was time to give back to the organization. Through a golf tournament sponsored by his company, Americana Mortgage Group, Mr. Moulton, who serves on the foundation's advisory board, has been able to raise more than $50,000 for Make-A-Wish, enough money to grant the wishes of 16 children. The next tournament is slated for May 2 at the North Hempstead Country Club in Port Washington.
When he meets Make-A-Wish children as part of his volunteer work, Mr. Moulton said the main thing is the just "keep them happy. We talk about how great Make-A-Wish is and not about their illnesses," he said. "We just have positive thoughts and keep them in a positive environment."
For the upcoming tournament, which has not even been publicized yet, Mr. Moulton has already had an iPod and an autographed copy of Rudy Giuliani's book donated for the silent auction portion of the event.
Mr. Moulton and his family have nothing but good things to say about the foundation, which arranged for Kelly to have breakfast with Cinderella at Disney World.
Kelly was born with a single ventricle and pulmonary stinosis, her father said, and required both closed and open-heart surgery before she was even 2 years old. She was then diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma in 1997, and was still undergoing chemotherapy when her wish was granted in 1998. Ultimately, Kelly had to have two heart transplants, after rejecting the first one. She still takes five medicines a day, her mother said.
During her volunteer work, Kelly often has an opportunity to talk with other Make-A-Wish children.
"I have Make-A-Wish kids who are my friends, and I see them all the time. We talk about the illnesses we had," she said. "Its nice to have another kid who knows what it feels like."
Today, Kelly is "a young lady with a lot of spirit to live," her father said. She made the crew team as coxswain at her school-which though at first caused some nervousness among her school and her parents, has become a wonderful experience.
"She's thriving," her mother said. Ms. Moulton said that the doctors told her that Kelly "will have no memory of the trauma, yet you and your husband will remember everything."
"Life can change very quickly," Mr. Moulton said. "One day Kelly was out riding her bicycle, and the next she was back in the hospital and her body was in rejection of her new heart. You just live with it."