Dwayne goes to the moon

Dwayne is 4 and wished to fly far, far away from hospital...to the moon!

Make A Wish Australia, Children's Charity - Dwayne on his wish wearing his space suit

Background

Meet Dwayne

Dwayne 4, has regular seizures and takes 16 pills a day which reduce, but cannot control, his epilepsy.

Remember staring at the moon as a little kid and imagining what’s up there? After getting a telescope for his birthday, Dwayne knows the moon is full of aliens, and that Batman and Spiderman live there too!

So Dwayne's wish was to visit the moon!

Make A Wish Australia Children's Charity - Dwayne on his wish to go to the moon standing with is parents

Planning

A year of planning

To make Dwayne’s wish happen, we needed to bring in the experts of the skies. Enter Qantas, who brought their whole team on board – from check-in and cabin crew, to pilots and engineers – it’s been all hands on deck to make the impossible possible.

Together, our #WishForce spent a year building up Dwayne for his wish, giving him a special moon lamp to keep bedside, letters from ‘Andy the astronaut’, and his very own spacesuit from NASA.

Make-A-Wish Australia wish kid Dwayne wearing his NASA spacesuit on the moon with other space characters

“Dwayne’s wish really distracts him from what he’s going through. He can’t stop telling people about it.”

Dwayne's mum

The wish

An out of this world wish

For his mission to the moon, Dwayne was greeted at Adelaide airport by cheering fans, giant billboards from oOh! media, and a Stormtrooper escort to his specially chartered Qantas ‘rocket’ flight.

A nearby hangar provided the perfect lunarscape, where Dwayne planted his hand-drawn flag on the moon and hunted for moonrocks with aliens and his favourite superheroes.

The impact of the wish on Dwayne was immediate.

“"We're blown away by how incredible this whole journey has been for Dwayne. Watching him be so confident and in his element - this wish won't stop having a positive impact.”

Dwayne's Mum

Icon of a smiling and sparkling star in white

Help more life-changing wishes come true

There are 700 kids like Dwayne on a wish journey in Australia right now. We rely on the generosity of donors, volunteers and local communities to make it happen.

How you can help

The Wish Journey

Bringing the Wish to Life

1. Wish Capture

Depending on availability, either our Make-A-Wish volunteers or our Wish Catcher team will arrange to meet each child (either in-person or virtually) to capture their greatest wish idea, getting to the heart of what they truly want and why. This is part of what makes Make-A-Wish unique, giving children full creative control while exploring their wish idea.

2. Wish Design

Back at Make-A-Wish HQ, we collaborate with families and volunteers, with support of the medical teams, to create the ultimate wish experience for each child.

3. Wish Anticipation

In the lead up to the wish, we take each child on an anticipation journey designed to build excitement, keep them engaged until their wish comes true, and provide a welcome distraction from medical treatment. Anticipation can be incredibly powerful, helping to calm, distract, and inspire kids at a time they need it most.

4. Wish Realisation

This is when the planning, preparation, and anticipation of the wish finally comes true. Children get to experience their greatest wish – it's everything they’ve imagined and more.

5. Wish Impact

Wish impact studies show that a child's wish lives on, long after the moment. A wish gives more than just hope – with an incredible and lasting effect on the lives of wish kids, their families, and wider communities.