RICHMOND, Va. -- Make-A-Wish, the organization that grants incredible requests for critically ill children, is celebrating 40 years this Wednesday.
Make-A-Wish started in 1980 with a mom who wanted to make her son's wish of becoming a highway patrolman a reality.
While Chris Greicius passed away from cancer just one month after his wish was granted, his dream has lived on for hundreds of thousands of other children.
In fact, more than 5,000 children have had their wishes granted in Virginia alone, including Mark Carnes.
The 14-year-old was in the eighth grade when he was diagnosed with cancer and got to experience the thrill of being an Air Force pilot.
Now 18, Carnes said Make-A-Wish changed his life.
"It cemented my goal to be an Air Force pilot," Carnes explained. "When I got that opportunity, it was life-changing. This is what I want to do with the rest of my life, so Make-A-Wish totally in that sense changed my life. "
During this pandemic, nearly 300 children are waiting for their wish to come true.
CBS 6 will help celebrate Make-A-Wish's 40th birthday this Wednesday. So be sure to tune in to find out how you can make a difference in the life of a critically ill child.
