97 Wishes and Counting

Gabe: One ELLE of a MacBook Pro and AirPods   

Gabe, an 18-year-old from St. Peter, MN underwent a heart transplant in 2023 and was beginning to rebuild his strength and was looking ahead to college. But this summer, his plans to work extra hours to save for a MacBook Pro were interrupted when he was diagnosed with transplant related cancer, and treatments once again became his reality.

ELLE granted his wish for a MacBook Pro and AirPods this October.

Gabe's mom posted this note to her followers about ELLE (excerpts):

Life has been flying by; but in some of the best ways. Gabe stopped by last week to do laundry and three times…I heard him say, “life is so great”. My heart grew inside of me hearing this statement.

We also want to thank the ELLE Foundation Inc, for the incredible wish grant. As a part of Elle’s legacy, this foundation was created for kids who’ve experienced a Cancer relapse, they can make a wish through this foundation. Gabe received a MacBook to help him through college. 

If you are looking for a way to give back. Look no further. This foundation gives to kids and their families who are in a world of relapse.

ELLE received this wonderful thank you note from Gabe:

“I want to sincerely thank you for giving me a wish of a laptop for my future school work, this will now be able to keep me organized and complete them efficiently. The effort and passion from your foundation is truly inspiring to me to help pay it forward and make a difference in this world.

Thank you again for everything, this is such a blessing.”

 Keaton - One ELLE of a Zion National Park & Antelope Canyon Family Adventure 

Keaton, a 13 year-old from Brazil, Indiana, wanted to explore Utah with his family and experience nature's beauty at Zion National Park and Antelope Canyon. 

A fabulous family time, documented by the many photos that avid photographer Keaton took, was had by the whole family.

Adventures included a stay at the Zion Mountain Buffalo Ranch, a hike in the Zion Narrows, complete with wetsuits (on Keaton’s must-do list), and a guided tour of Antelope Canyon. The trip ended with a stay at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel!

His family sent this lovely note to ELLE:

"We wanted to say thank you to the ELLE Foundation for granting Keaton's wish to go to Zion National Park and Antelope Canyon! The trip came together quickly and in perfect timing! Keaton had scans the week we got back and that trip allowed us to forget about all things cancer for a week and just enjoy quality time together with family. It was amazing!! We still can't believe it honestly! It was like a dream come true for Keaton and our entire family! This blessing was much needed!"

From Keaton:

Thank you for granting my wish to go to Zion National Park and Antelope Canyon. I have wanted to go there for a long time and you made that possible! I got to hike the Narrows which was one of the main things on my list while there. Antelope Canyon was crazy and more than I expected. Our last night in Vegas we stayed in a cool hotel and I got to see the lights at night. My big brother got to go which made it even more fun! Thank You!!

Maya: One ELLE of a California Family Adventure  

Maya, an 11-year-old from South St. Pau, MN, wished for a trip to Disneyland, CA with her family, so she could get away from hospitals and treatments, and have somewhere to go where she’s not "the cancer girl", where the only thing that is important is having fun!

Maya and her family travelled to California this March and spent several days enjoying all that Disneyland has to offer and seeing the sights of the LA area. Her particular favorite was the Animation Academy where she created an animated Winnie-the-Pooh graphic.

ELLE would also like to give a shout-out to @ExtraMagicTrips for all their hard work making the travel arrangements for this wish!