Reflecting on the 2024 Southern Ohio Wish Gala

I’ve finally had some time to reflect on our incredible Make-A-Wish Gala night!

We initially agreed to be the gala spotlight family because we felt it was important to share our story to help fundraise so other families could create memories as we had. Ultimately, the gala ended up taking on a greater meaning than any of us could’ve expected. It created a space for people to show up for our family and express their love and support for us. It was so special and we truly felt so much love.

The highlight of the night was the speech I was supposed to give. I had let the girls know that only I would be speaking, as I was concerned that they would fight over who would talk or talk over one another. Then I got up on stage with the family behind me...and Soraya stood up to speak.

I thought about whether I should tell her to sit down. She doesn’t have much of a filter– what if she said something random? Or worse, inappropriate?

I decided this was her night. I wasn’t going to get in her way!

Soraya spoke eloquently and was able to articulate her love and gratitude for Make-A-Wish, as she’s dying sooner than expected. It was beautiful.

Yasmeen went next. She spoke from the heart about the impact of our wish on our entire family, not just Soraya. Then Leena (who has never done any public speaking!) took the mic. She cracked a joke before speaking intentionally, with a slow and powerful cadence about how Soraya’s wish changed the way our family looks at the world and how we live.

I finished up with thank you’s for those in attendance, in awe over the incredible things the girls had said. I could not have done any better.

This is just another lesson for our lives– things don’t go as planned and sometimes it’s better to just surrender and adapt, even when uncertain.

Other highlights were spending the day with author Kelly Cervantes and listening to her incredible speech. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room.

We also met the talented band IMY2 (one of Soraya’s favorites!), who were so generous with their time with our family and Make-A-Wish.

Read more on those highlights here and here!