ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – There’s nothing like making a child’s wish come true. For children fighting a critical illness, those wishes are a gift of hope that can help give them the strength to continue their fight.

Through tears and hugs, the Make-A-Wish room where wishes are planned and granted was dedicated to the memory of a Wish Kid.

“After two days in the hospital, we were able to bring our precious boy home. Looking back now, I think those were the only two days in his entire life that I did not live with some sort of fear for his health or development.”

It’s a situation no family prepares for after bringing their newborn home.

“The ambulance rushed us back to the hospital, where he was taken from my arms and test after test was performed trying to figure out what was going on.”

The answer to a mysterious illness for Seth Wharton came years later.

“One month before he turned 3 years old, we received a call from his doctor with a diagnosis of Batten’s disease. I did a quick Google search of words like pediatric dementia, vision loss, bed bound and terminal. That should never be spoken when describing a child.” 

Seth was placed on hospice and his family focused on letting him live out his best life. That’s when make a wish became part of his story.

“They were pure magic from the moment we met them, after sitting down to meet and learn about Seth, we discussed possible wish ideas.” 

That meeting was done in the Wish Room.

“Our Wish Room is where Wish Kids come in to do their discovery visits, to talk about their wish to plan. And so it’s a really fun space just for kids to come in, forget about their diagnosis for a while and dream big,” said Sara Lister, president & CEO of Make-A-Wish New Mexico.

The naming rights of the room were auctioned off during this year’s Wine and Wish Gala.

“So this year, LodeStar had the highest bid, and they decided that they wanted to name the Wish Room for the year ahead in honor of one of our Wish Kids who passed. And so they chose to honor Seth Wharton, who is a little boy who had his wish granted in 2019,” said Lister.

Because Seth wasn’t able to travel, Make-A-Wish teamed up with La Cueva’s Make-A-Wish club to fulfill Seth’s camping wish.

“We turned their backyard into a camping oasis. So they had a fire pit, tons of food, movies, games, tents, everything that you can imagine. And Seth’s parents really hoped that he would be able to actually spend the night outside with them in the tent, and they weren’t sure, and he was and so it was a really cool experience,” Liter said.

It included a special part.

“My favorite being drawings of woken creatures placed around the yard to make sure Seth felt like he was in the great outdoors.”

A drawing that now hangs in Seth’s Little Brother’s nursery. That includes the dedication of the Wish Room and a chance to keep Seth’s memory alive.

“As a family, we would continue to have new experiences and create new memories, but there would always be someone missing. But you’ve done the impossible. you’ve given us a new memory.”