What Happens When You Make A Wish Upon A Star?

There is no moat surrounding this castle, no dragon to be slain. Yet the walls of this real-life castle in New Jersey house a magic that surpasses the stuff of lore.

It’s a castle made of wishes and dreams; the dreams of children who have fought battles far more treacherous than coming face to face with any mythical creature. Their battlefields are hospitals and the fight is against life threatening illness: Cancer.

Today it’s my son’s turn to cross this mighty threshold and enter this castle’s walls so that his wish might be granted.

This castle began its existence long before my boy was diagnosed with Leukemia; before we had any inkling that one day we would cross paths with this piece of Disney entrenched in our unlikely heart of New Jersey – the only Make A Wish castle in the world.

My children used to peer out from the car window, marveling at it, aching for the chance to go inside. Be careful what you wish for.

On this day, just three months shy of his last round of chemo, my son is filled with excitement and awe as we walk through the sliding doors. The feeling is akin to holding the Golden Ticket to Wonka’s chocolate factory on the big day. What awaited us beyond these doors?

The large stained glass windows depict children dressed as princes, princesses, knights in armor – each representing struggles that these children have endured. One has a bald head, the symbol of chemotherapy treatments. Another is in a wheelchair.

The lobby is filled with the sounds of chirping birds and a glass ceiling where sunshine pours down upon topiaries shaped like chess pieces. We are greeted by two volunteers bearing gifts for both boys as well as a wonderful handmade poster of all of my son’s favorite things. The stone floor is crafted into a maze. My son takes my hand and together we carefully traverse the twists and turns until we reach the end. It is the perfect metaphor for the past three years; of the road that brought us here.

We chat over snacks and discuss possible wishes. Just about anything imaginable. The chance to meet just about anyone, go anywhere, do almost anything. Truly mind boggling. He knows what he’ll wish for: a trip to Disney World or Lego Land. Luckily, each child who makes a wish here is encouraged to submit two wishes in case the first cannot be granted and nothing is set in stone just yet.

Finally it’s time to see the secret rooms created by the Disney Imagineer. No photographs allowed. This is a special surprise for Make A Wish children and their families. We are told that we will only be allowed to describe what we see.

The first room is the Imagination Room. Designed to inspire wishes, it is four walls of beautiful murals of books bearing titles of things that anyone could ever want. A Forest Ranger uniform “hangs” from one wall in homage to the boy who inspired the room itself, as it was his wish to be a Ranger for a day. Golden gnomes, brightly colored ornate chairs, french doors leading out onto a large balcony. We are encouraged to spend time here thinking about and discussing my son’s wish.

My teenager falls in love with the second room, the teen lounge. Pillows that look like giant rocks litter the floor and every kind of junk food overflows from a snack bar complete with a stocked refrigerator. They’re coaxed out of their state of disbelief to grab a snack as they marvel at the flat screen TV/video game station that holds court beside toad stool end tables.

But it is the last room that takes our collective breath away. As the doors to the Wish Room are opened, it is suddenly twilight. Crickets chirp, a forest surrounds us from its walls and tiny lanterns provide the only ambient light. My son is presented with a small box on which his name is inscribed. Inside, a giant crystal. In what can only be described as the most awe inspiring and moving pagan ritual ever, he’s asked to place the crystal inside a cabinet, close its doors, take a step back and close his eyes. When he opens them, the forest disappears as if by magic, replaced only by a vast, dark blue sky. He is asked to think very hard about his wish and as he does, out of nowhere, there appears a shooting star that streams across that beautiful sky.

The volunteer asks, “What happens when you make a wish on a shooting star?”

And my son answers, “Your wish comes true.”

But our wish has already been granted. We are here today. All four of us.

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Show your support, and find out more about The Make A Wish Foundation.

Linda is a writer, musician and mom who blogs at elleroy was here and leads the Americana band Jehova Waitresses. She is a staff writer at Aiming Low, Funny Not Slutty and Sprocket Ink. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.