Remembering Woody

Thank you for visiting my Make-A-Wish® Australia, In Loving Memory page.

Giving in memory of a loved one is a very special way to honour a life. Your gift to Make-A-Wish will make a world of difference to hundreds of Australian kids with critical illnesses. From the simple to the seemingly impossible, wishes complement medical treatment, working to calm, distract and empower sick children when they need it most.

With every gift, we are one step closer to making the wish of every eligible Australian child come true. Thank you.

Help us 'gift a wish' in Dad's honour

Dad couldn't have been prouder when I left a career in banking and started working for Make-A-Wish in 2019. While he never understood exactly what I did (comms? marketing? innovation?!), he was the first to get behind this amazing cause, making a generous donation when he could, and calling me whenever he spotted Make-A-Wish (or a "competitor"!) in the media.

As someone who spent 11 years fighting critical illness, defying those odds time and again - Dad found the stories of wish kids particularly poignant, equally sad and inspiring. I think he understood better than most what a wish means to a sick child - giving critical ill kids a rare sense of control over something they can choose themselves, providing hope and joy, and giving families something positive to look forward to (or back on).

Ultimately Dad's own experience with multiple myeloma has come to an end, but it must be said - he never gave up, he never complained, and he never let his illness define him. As we come to reflect on the goodness of his life, we invite you to help us 'gift a wish' in honour of Dad's courage, determination and strength, and help show critically ill kids that despite their illness, anything is possible.

Thank you for your generosity.

(by Amanda Lauchlan, nee Wood)