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Tag: make-a-wish mid-atlantic

  • Wish kid flips over meeting Simone Biles – WTOP News

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    Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at birth, Haley says meeting Simone Biles gave her hope and inspiration to pursue her ultimate goal: competing in the Olympics and inspiring others.

    Haley Gibson of Frederick, Maryland, met her gymnastics hero, Simone Biles, through Make-A-Wish. (Courtesy Gibson family)

    Throughout December, WTOP is bringing you “Wish Wednesday,” where we spotlight what Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic does for families in D.C., Virginia and Maryland. If you would like to help make a wish kid’s dream come true, please visit the foundation’s website.

    Have you ever heard the old saying about never meeting your hero? A lot of people believe they will let you down.

    Someone who disagrees with that statement is an 11-year-old gymnast from Frederick, Maryland.

    During a Make-A-Wish visit at WTOP, Haley Gibson explained why meeting her hero, Simone Biles, caused her to flip out.

    “She did the opposite of disappointing me. She lightened me. She helped me through the struggles I was going through, and just made me feel so much better,” Haley said. “She was really sweet. She listened, she gave good answers. She was patient.”

    Haley, who started in gymnastics at the age of two, said Biles has always been her idol.

    “So when I got to meet her, I just happened to be going to a camp,” Haley said. “It was even more special.”

    Sitting and watching Haley be interviewed about that special day was her biggest fan and mom, Lisa Gibson.

    Along with Haley, her mother, father and her two sisters also met Biles.

    “She was so down to earth and so nice. I mean, you wouldn’t have even known that she was this big celebrity,” Lisa said. “You have been such an inspiration to her and to our family.”

    The meeting will be something Haley will never forget.

    “It was just so exciting, because I think my brain was just like, ‘Oh, my God, she’s really here,’” Haley said.

    Shortly after Haley was born, she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, as was one of her sisters.

    “Cystic fibrosis is a lung disease that can affect the breathing,” Haley said. “So you have to do treatments and take lots of medicine, and it’s very hard and sometimes scary.”

    Lisa said seeing the light in Haley’s eyes as her daughter and Biles spoke brought her the joy she needed.

    “She’s been through so much being a military family, you move a lot. Then you add on CF, and you just add on being in middle school — all these things, and she just takes it like a champ,” Haley’s mother said.

    As soon as Haley returned from her Wish, she asked her mom how she could help Make-A-Wish, since they had helped her.

    What will the future hold in store for the sixth grader?

    Don’t worry, she already has it planned out.

    “Go to the Olympics and be an inspiration for other people,” Haley said.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jimmy Alexander

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  • This Wish kid from Fairfax County is officially cancer free – WTOP News

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    WTOP’s “Wish Wednesday,” is spotlighting Ben Keller, a 14-year-old from Fairfax County, Virginia, whose cruising dreams came true, thanks to Make-A-Wish.

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    Throughout December, WTOP is bringing you “Wish Wednesday,” where we spotlight what Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic does for families in D.C., Virginia and Maryland. If you would like to help make a wish kid’s dream come true, please visit the foundation’s website.

    This past July, a 14-year-old from Fairfax County, Virginia, was in the middle of the sea on The Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Wonder of the Sea.

    Not only was Ben Keller with his parents and his three brothers, but he was also joined by around a dozen family members including aunts, uncles and another special relative.

    “They have like a wave machine there,” said Keller, a high school freshman. “When I went on that with my grandpa, that was really cool.”

    It should be noted that Keller’s grandfather was the only one in the wave pool.

    “Grampa’s cool,” Keller said.

    The journey to the cruise for the Keller family started in March of 2024 when Ben was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.

    “That phone call,” said Frank Keller, Ben’s father. “It was just one of those moments that always sticks with you.”

    Ben had to take a break from baseball, and a lot of other things healthy middle school kids take part in after school.

    For the next several months, Ben underwent chemotherapy. Luckily a year ago last month Ben got positive news; he was cancer free.

    “We are so incredibly proud of him and what has accomplished and what he stands for,” Frank said. “He’s just becoming a great man.”

    Ben smiled when he spoke of the nurses at Inova Fairfax Medical Campus and said they were great. He mentioned how helpful the doctors were to him.

    The Keller family loves going on cruises, and Ben said that he loved the zip lining, water slides and of course the food.

    “I love omelets,” Ben said.

    Milkshakes and hash browns were also a big hit for him and his brothers.

    Ben also enjoyed going to the jungle as he put it, because he got to see lizards.

    “I saw a comedy show,” Ben said. “There was, like an ice-skating show. Those are pretty cool.”

    During Ben’s visit to WTOP for a Make-A-Wish open house, Ben said he was thankful the foundation granted his wish.

    Gratitude runs deep with the Keller family; Frank spoke of how they still hear from the folks at Make-A-Wish-Mid-Atlantic.

    “It’s an ongoing relationship, and we’re here to be a part of the family. That’s what it is. It’s a Make-A-Wish family. So, it means everything,” Frank said.

    This past July 14-year-old Ben Keller was in the middle of the sea on The Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Wonder of the Sea.
    Not only was the freshman in high school with his parents and his three brothers on the cruise, but he was also joined by around a dozen family members including aunts, uncles and another special relative.
    “We are so incredibly proud of him and what has accomplished and what he stands for,” said Mr. Keller. “He’s just becoming a great man.”

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jimmy Alexander

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  • This Maryland teenager is no longer being shielded from the sun all thanks to a wish – WTOP News

    This Maryland teenager is no longer being shielded from the sun all thanks to a wish – WTOP News

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    A Potomac, Maryland, teenager who’s allergic to the sun is getting the chance to safely play with her brothers on a new sports court covered with UV shades.

    A “Happy Wish Day” sign for Jamison Cohen, a teenager who’s allergic to the sun, in front of a Potomac, Maryland, home.
    (WTOP/Scott Gelman)

    WTOP/Scott Gelman

    Sports court in UV shades
    The new sports court, which is covered with UV shades.
    (WTOP/Scott Gelman)

    WTOP/Scott Gelman

    Ribbon-cutting ceremony for new sports court
    Jamison cut the ribbon on a new sports court in her backyard Thursday afternoon.
    (WTOP/Scott Gelman)

    WTOP/Scott Gelman

    Jamison riding her bike
    Jamison riding her bike around the court.
    (WTOP/Scott Gelman)

    WTOP/Scott Gelman

    Almost every day, 10-year-old Grayson Cohen asks his mom if his sister, Jamison, can ride her bike outside with him and their other two brothers.

    If he’s not asking about bike riding, he asks if Jamison can join them outside of their Potomac, Maryland, home and kick a soccer ball around. In both cases, the answer has always been no.

    Jamison, a 13-year-old with a nervous system disorder, is allergic to the sun and is UV sensitive. Her mother, Nikki Cohen, said Jamison just wants to be included but can’t safely be outside. The uneven pavement in the backyard also proved to be difficult to navigate with Jamison’s bike or wheelchair.

    But with help from Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic and homebuilder Van Metre, Jamison on Thursday afternoon cut the ribbon on a new sports court in their backyard. It’s covered with UV shades.

    With family and friends watching, she rode around the court on her bike. Her three brothers are already eager to break it in.

    “I love it, and I’m glad that Jamie can play with us,” one of them said.

    Jamison is one of the about 375 W ishes that the organization grants in D.C., Maryland and Virginia every year, according to Lesli Creedon, president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic.

    The process started in January 2023 when Creedon spoke to Glen Skutnik, who is the group president of investment properties with Van Metre. They were discussing Van Metre’s pledge to grant one wish a year, and five minutes after the call, Creedon sent Skutnik the details of Jamison’s wish.

    “Together, we thought about all of the things that Jamie could potentially wish for,” Nikki Cohen said. “We decided that playing with her brothers on a safe sports court, even away from the sun, would be the best way to go.”

    From start to finish, the project took 18 months. There’s also a pathway from the house to the sports court, to allow Jamison to easily access it.

    “We’re a hockey family, my boys all play hockey,” Nikki said. “And I think that Jamie’s going to take them all to the net and show them what top cheddar really looks like.”

    Now that the court is ready to be used, she said all four kids will be able to play together, something that hasn’t happened outside.

    “You can’t really put it into words what something like this means to their family,” Skutnik, with Van Metre, said. “And so we’re just blessed to be part of that.”

    “[The chance to] give my daughter a typical, normal play experience, it’s just beyond words,” Nikki said.

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    © 2024 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Scott Gelman

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