Beyond The Wish: Bek
Seeing the impact of daughter Gracie's wish to meet a quokka and get a selfie with it, inspired mum Bek to become a Make-A-Wish volunteer. She now wants other families to experience the joy hers felt.
Quokka wish trip the 'best ever'
“The best way to describe a wish is that Make-A-Wish wraps you up in a big star-shaped hug.”
So says Bek Moore, a Wish mum and now a Make-A-Wish volunteer.
Bek’s daughter Gracie was 7 years old when her wish to see quokkas and get selfies with them was granted in 2023.
Gracie and her family headed to Rottnest Island in Western Australia to see quokkas; a long way from the family home in Central Queensland.
“It was the best trip ever, hands down,” Bek said.
Open heart surgery for Gracie
Gracie was a toddler when diagnosed with the genetic disorder Marfan syndrome which affects various parts of the body. In Gracie’s case, she had an aneurysm – a large bulge – on her heart.
Two weeks later she had her first eye surgery, a fortnight later a second eye surgery.
Doctors initially treated the little girl with heart medication, but soon determined .
“She was 3 years old when she had open heart surgery,” Bek said.
“She was the youngest in the world and first in Australia to have what they call the PEARS procedure.
“It was life-saving surgery. Your whole world changes. You are rattled to your core.”
We just got to be regular human beings that didn't have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Bek, wish mum
The journey that ends with a Quokka kiss
In total, Gracie has had two open heart surgeries and spinal fusion surgery.
Walking is a little difficult for Gracie, while her big, thick glasses also are a clue to the journey she’s been on.
“In the grand scheme of things, we’re pretty lucky,” Bek said. “She’s still with us, so we are very blessed.”
Joining Gracie in her many surgeries was a quokka toy gifted by her grandma.
So, it was no surprise to anyone that Gracie’s wish was to see quokkas in real life – and get selfies with them.
The wish came shortly after Gracie’s second open-heart surgery.
“We were able to switch off, get out of survival mode, and reset as a family,” Bek said.
“We went on walks, we went on bicycle rides, we laughed. We just got to be regular human beings that didn't have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
“I get happy tears when I think about it.”
The highlight of the trip was Gracie’s selfie – and kiss - with a quokka on day one.
“We were sitting at tables at the restaurant or the bakery and the quokka came up and stood there while Grace was standing there,” Bek recalled.
“And I was just lucky enough to have the camera and took the photo.
“It absolutely made the trip.”
Wish lives on in chalk
When Bek came home from work recently she noticed Gracie busy drawing with chalk outside.
Gracie, now aged 10, drew a quokka on the ground.
“She was like ‘That’s our quokka adventure’. As a family we talk about our wish trip all the time,” Bek said.
“We have got that selfie of Gracie with the quokka in our lounge room. I cannot articulate enough how integral the wish has become; it is like a core memory.”
Bek said knowing a wish was coming instills badly needed hope for kids and their parents.
And it also helps children with their self-confidence.
“Kids can say ‘I can do hard things. I got through this hard thing and Make-A-Wish had this beautiful reward for me’.”
Making the world a better place one wish at a time
Bek had been thinking about volunteering for Make-A-Wish for a while before she signed up late in 2025.
“It was my way of giving back,” she said.
“Make-A-Wish is so wonderful. And I genuinely just felt it in my heart that I wanted to do it.”
Bek’s saw some familiar faces at her first meeting of the Rockhampton/Gladstone Branch of Make-A-Wish.
“The lady that did Grace's wish, Gabby, was there so it was kind of that full circle moment,” Bek said.
“The lady that came to our house to ask what Gracie would wish for, she is all of a sudden sitting at a table with me.”
Bek said she had much empathy for wish parents, feeling a sense of what they may have gone through to get to their child’s wish.
“I want people to experience the joy that our family experienced because when you're going through a medical journey, sometimes it's hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel and Make-A-Wish really light that light for families,” Bek said.
“I just want to make sure that everyone can experience that same joy that my family did.
“I want to make kids smile and I want to make the world a little bit more of a better place. So that's why I will always make time for Make-A-Wish.”
