NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Make-A-Wish New Mexico said they are granting more wishes for kids who are fighting critical illnesses.
Lincoln Cooper, 7, is one wish recipient in New Mexico. He loves hanging out with his siblings, playing games, and riding his bike. In 2020, he was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a bone cancer, at the age of 4. “He did super well throughout the entire treatment. He of course had hard times during it, but he sucked it up when he needed to and did excellent and got through it,” said Chaston Cooper, Lincoln’s dad.
After fighting the disease and going through treatments, Chaston Cooper mentioned they needed a break from everyday life. That’s where Make-A-Wish New Mexico came in. The foundation sent the family to Disney World last year. “It was nice to get away and it was nice to take his siblings. They all got to enjoy it with us,” said Chaston Cooper.
Make-A-Wish New Mexico said their fiscal year runs from Sept. 1 through Aug. 31. This fiscal year, they granted 108 wishes, which they said is higher than normal.
“Prior to Covid, we usually granted around 100 to 105 wishes a year. That dropped significantly to about half of that number during the pandemic. Now to be at 108, we are back and growing,” said President and CEO of Make-A-Wish New Mexico, Sara Lister.
Even though they are granting more than 100 wishes, the foundation mentioned inflation is hitting them hard, but they will continue to grant wishes. “We would never claim that a wish cures a child, but we really do believe that it helps them fight their critical illness and that it gives them that hope and that desire to keep pushing forward,” said Lister.
Lincoln is about to hit his one-year anniversary of stopping chemotherapy. He said, “Keep going. Keep fighting,” to other kids who may be going through difficult times.
According to Make-A-Wish New Mexico, there are 149 children waiting for their wish in the state. To learn more about the foundation and how you can help, you can visit this link.
