Since the moment Grayson was born, he’s been fighting for his life. Diagnosed with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) at birth, he had his first open-heart surgery at 11 days.

Grayson’s parents didn’t know what was wrong at first, only that he was experiencing multiple-organ failure. His illness has required surgery after surgery. Grayson’s mom, Carrie, said it’s extremely hard on the family. So it seemed like a miracle when Grayson received a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Wisconsin.

Beach dreams

When wish granters interviewed Grayson, he said he wanted to fly on an airplane and see the "big water.” They realized he wanted to go look for seashells, sea turtles and dolphins. Grayson had seen pictures of Sanibel Island, Fla., and was mesmerized. It seemed almost too much to hope for, amid all the grueling treatments and surgeries, tests and hospital visits.

When Grayson found out his wish would come true, he looked at his four older siblings and said, “I'm takin' you to Sanibel!”

“It was just about the proudest that I've ever seen a 4-year-old boy,” Carrie said. “Our trip gave our family a chance to spend time to relax and reconnect. It was the first time we felt Grayson was healthy enough for travel, so it was our first true family vacation.”

Grayson was amazed at the shell-covered beach. He walked up to total strangers, asking each one, “So...what's your wish?”

“Just being a kid”

They went to the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, where they enjoyed a

private “Shell Walk” that helped Grayson find some of the best shells on the island. The museum presented Grayson with gifts, including a stuffed squid and shell books. Volunteers escorted the family to the beach as they searched for seashells with the experts. As an added bonus, a Sanibel police officer rode by on his beach motorcycle and invited Grayson to hop on, then presented him with a junior deputy badge.

His parents loved watching the kids playing and spending time together as a worry-free family and Grayson enjoying himself just being a kid. It was a joyful break from the knowledge that Grayson’s heart will never be fixed. “We still live with the daily concern that his heart will start to fail, and he will need a transplant,” Carrie said.

Carrie maintains a Web site about Grayson’s progress for family and friends; it also features photos of the family trip to Sanibel Island. A heart transplant may be in Grayson’s future. But for now, he learned beautiful places are only a wish away. Precious memories of one such place give Grayson and his family a measure of hope, strength and joy.