I started this fundraiser in order to promote love and kindness; characteristics that exemplified my son, Dan, who died in November, 2018.  I now emphatically know how incredibly special memories are and cherish each and every one.  

So, in honor of Dan, I am committing to fulfill 21 wishes (1 for every year of his precious life), each with a cost that ranges between $5,000-$10,000.  Many of the wishes will be correlated to one of Dan's passions. Thus far, 25 wishes have been granted, but I continue to wait for the Red Sox to be in the World Series for my ultimate wish to grant! So, I just committed to an additional 21 wishes because I love this charity!

Wish #1-A teenage boy and his family to meet a star Boston Celtics player (Gordon Hayward) and participated in other activities with the Celtics.  Dan LOVED the Boston Celtics, and I cherish my memories of attending many Celtics games with Dan. 

Wish #2-Dan's close college friends suggested that I try to send a Wish kid to a concert.   An 11 year-old boy with cystic fibrosis recently attended the Austin, TX Imagine Dragons concert. Dan was fascinated by music and could recite lyrics to any rap song that he heard. Meeting the Wish Kid was one of the most touching feelings I have experienced. I now understand that a Wish is not a moment of joy....rather it is potentially healing; a memory that will be forever lasting and a period of time when a Wish kid can forget that he/she is sick.

Wish #3- The Wish Kid was so happy to bring her new goldon retriever puppy (Bentley) home in February 2020!!! To say that Dan loved our golden doodle is truly an understatement.

Like everything else, COVID has impacted raising funds and wish granting.  The May 2020 Dan Jessell Community Pickleball Challenge (16 communities and a pro-exhibition) had to be put on hold, as well as the associated wish of a girl traveling to Japan to learn how to be a sushi chef.  Anyone who knew Dan understands his passion for sushi and Asian food.  Travel wishes have been put aside; more "functional" wishes are currently prevelant.

Wish #4- Maggie (5 years)was born with a rare skin condition that causes fragile and blistering skin, both internally and externally.  Her daily life consists of gentle play, constant bandage changing and careful monitoring.  Maggie needed a safe and clean environment to discover the world around her, and her wish of a Trailer was granted!  It will be life altering as she can leave her house in a sterile environment. Maggie has plans to go to a campground with her family and feel the freedom of a new environment.

Wish #5-An 11 year-old boy, who lives in the country and is confined to a wheelchair, typically cannot be in the open fields with his brother in snow, mud, etc. The Action Trackchair gives him the ability to get off the beaten path and feel like a normal kid.  Dan had a lot of foot pain, which prevented him from participating in some things he absolutely loved to do.  I wanted this boy to at least be able to go wherever his brother went.

Wish #6 Devon, an 8 year-old boy has had developmental delays, making it hard to make friends and live a "typical" child's life.  Devon says that his new puppy, Axel, will be his best friend and is also trained to alert his family of a potential medical emergency.

Wish #7  Sloane, a 3 year-old girl, is full of personality even though she has a brain tumor.  She is upbeat and you would never know all that she has been through in her short life.  She was so happy that her wish for a backyard playset was granted.  Seeing her and her twin sister play on this with no worry was heartwarming.

WIsh #8  Sometimes the simplest of wishes are life changing.  David, who is paralyzed, wished for a hospital bed.   David is so much more comfortable - he has a bed that he can adjust himself...and his parents can get more sleep as David will not need their assistance to get resituated in bed.  It provides him with some level of self-sufficiency, which is so important. Like Dan was in his younger years, David is a huge Nickelodeon fan.

Wish #9 The Wish Kid lives in my hometown, a place where Dan has been countless times. He has a life-threatening genetic disorder and wanted a hot tub to ease his constant pain.  The day that his wish was granted was a difficult day for him.  The hot tub changed his focus to a positive event.  I zoomed with his mom and him-It was like an instant bonding...hard to explain but very powerful.

Wish #10  Jordan, a 4 year-old boy, suffers from an extremely rare and degenerative brain disease.  He is non-verbal and has some physical deficits. Jordan's wish is to modify the pool to make it easier for him to access and also allow him to have water physical therapy right at home. Jordan and his family now can receive this therapy in their back yard, hopefully making their life a little less stressful.   

Wish #11 William, a 13-year-old who has a brain tumor, loves Star Wars.  He spends a lot of time in his bedroom building with legos-many with Star Wars themes.  He wished for a bedroom makeover with a Galaxy-theme and to have a workspace for building and displaying all of the structures that he builds.  I watched the expression on William's face when he proudly showed us his amazing "new room", with displays for all of his lego figures, etc.  Thanks to my brother-in-law, William also had a surprise visit from the Fire Dept, complete with sirens, etc. When his Mom said with a huge smile "This will be a day our family will never forget!", it just rubber stamped the importance of granting these wishes.

 Wish #12  Nate is a 14-year-old boy with Hogkins Lymphoma.  Like Dan, his favorite subject is math, and he has a natural curiosity for many things-one of which is how a computer works.  Nate's wish was to build his own computer system from scratch (to use for gaming).  I had the honor to zoom with he and his family as Nate was presented with many, many computer parts (and a gaming chair).  Nate went part by part explaining to us novices what function each served.  This was such a cool and unique wish, and what a great sense of satisfaction he will have when he finishes putting all of these parts together and actually gets to play games on this system.  Again, the joy could be felt by all!

Wish #13 The 1st annual Daniel Jessell Pickleball Palooza raised enough funds to grant 3 wishes!  Recently, Mia, a 13-year-old from Lake Worth with Neoplasm, wished for a golf cart.  This Yamaha accessible golf cart is unlike anything you will see on a golf course!  It provided Mia, who is having a tough time walking distances, the ability to visit her neighborhood friends and also motivates her to get out of the house.

Wish #14 Maxwell,a 9-year old boy battling Leukemia, was granted the next wish with  Palooza funds.  He wished to have a puppy! Max's huge smile sitting on a chair with this new retriever puppy tells it all. 

Wish #15 This wish is extra special because Robert and I chose it together. 12-year-old Andrew has cancer.  His pre-pandemic wish was to go to Hawaii with his family.  He decided to wait until travel restrictions were lifted rather than choose a different wish.  After spending lots of time in the hospital, he will have great memories of ziplining with his family, going to a Luau, and of course, having the best smoothie he's ever had EVERY morning!!  Dan loved to travel and explore other cultures...and of course, he loved smoothies!

Wish #16 This wish kid is truly an inspiration!  Sebi, a 15-year-old going on 20, has leukemia.  He is passionate and an extremely talented photographer, with a love of capturing the environment and animals in his pictures.  He wished for a significantly upgraded camera lens. My friend, Jessica, participated in this wish with me. On the zoom, he displayed these amazing shots that illustrated the effect of climate change on animals.  The photographs were amazing!  We could feel that this gift truly lifted his spirits and motivation.  At the end of the call, Jessica and I concluded that there was no doubt that Sebi is going to make a huge difference in the world.

Wish #17 Braiyakan (Brian), like Dan, is a HUGE Red Sox fan! Brian (18) is being treated for cancer.  During his treatments, Brian stopped his exercise routine and felt getting back in shape was important to him, both mentally and health-wise and requested a personal trainer

Wish #18 Quinn, a 4 year-old who is battling leukemia, loves to read.  An avid reader (yes-at age 4), her wish, to have a story book written about her...and published.  Quinn's Monsters-an illustrated book of 10 short stories was published in September, 2022.  She, of course, is the main character along with her blobs and other monsters.  What an amazing kid who smiled from ear to ear when the author read Quinn's Monsters to a group of pre-school children!!

Wish #19 Arianna, an 8 year-old with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, wished for Blue Merle Pomeranian puppy and immediately fell in love!

Wish #20  Maria, a 17 year-old battling Epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica had her wish come true when she went to see Taylor Swift in concert!!  From the start of the trip with the flight crew giving her a shout out, to the amazing concert in Chicago, and ending with a spur of the moment decision to pierce her ears, Maria smiled her way all through the weekend!!!  

Wish #21  This wish was picked by my stepgrandson, Trevor-like Dan, a huge NBA fan.  Julian loves to play basketball and is battling osteoscarcoma.  His wish to go to the NBA 2023 finals came true!  He even got to hold the championship trophy and shoot hoops on the main court...He and his family will always remember this day!

Wish #22  A fellow pickleballer-and amazing 14-year old girl had leukemia.  In 2021, she lost lost of weight and went through chemotherapy. 2 years later, with funds raised by the DJ (Dan Jessell) Palooza at the Delray Tennis Center, Katie and her wonderful family went to Hawaii.  She is now back on the courts and an inspiration to everyone.  After such a long road, the family was able to enjoy playing ukes in Hawaii, and focusing on a joyful experience rather than focusing on illness.

Wish #23 Bodhi-7 years-old from West Palm has....His wish was to go to Whistler, Canada for the Crankworx sports festival.  Bodhi, a true daredevil, rode a mountain bike with the pros and had an amazing adventure!!!

Wish #24  Kylie, a 15 year-old from Boynton Beach wished to see a taping of The Voice.  She dressed like her favorite-Reba and got front row seats.  She met Reba (who was dressed just like Kylie!), spent the most time with Michael Buble and also met Snoop Dog.  Kylie's mom said that she couldn't believe that this all happened!

Wish #25 10-year old, Sophia from Ft. Lauderdale, who is battling leukemia is the Jonas Brothers' #1 fan...even her dog is named Joe Jonas.  She listened to Jonas Bros. songs while receiving chemo. Her room is all Jonas! Sophia, typically shy, was beaming when she told me about meeting the Jonas Brothers at Met Life Stadium pre and post concert. I watched a video of their interaction, and it really was a defining moment.  I truly believe that this wish was a huge part of Sophia's emotional and physical recovery from what this amazing little girl had to go through.

Wish #26 Adele....wish was to meet Israeli singer, Eden..  She was shocked when Eden walked through her door wearing an "I met Adele" shirt.  To top it off, they even made some Tik Tok videos together!!

Wish #27  US Open

A wish come true helps children feel stronger, more energetic, more willing and able to battle their critical illnesses. For many, the wish marks a turning point in the fight against their illnesses. Doctors, nurses and other health professionals say, the wish experience works in concert with medicine to make their patients feel better emotionally and even physically. These aren't just words-I've now witnessed it firsthand.

More kids are waiting for their wishes. Please help by donating today.

Thank you for your support!