My young adult son was at the Cleveland Clinic receiving a very strong chemo regimen and stem cell transplant when we decided to fill out the Nik’s Wish application in hopes of having something to look forward to. To our surprise, we were indeed contacted by Kelley and Luke was able focus his attention on planning a trip to Hawaii instead of being as consumed by his treatments and cancer diagnosis.
Tammy, our wish coordinator helped make Luke’s wish a success! She worked endlessly to plan the getaway and even searched for businesses that were willing to offer services for free or discounted to make our trip even more special.
When you have the rest of your life ahead of you, but find out you have stage IV lymphoma, it can be so emotionally and physically challenging. Niks Wish gave our family so many things- love, compassion, support, a wonderful trip to Kauai, joy, and amazing memories that will last a lifetime!!
I started volunteering about a year ago. Nik’s Wish has granted so many wishes to young adults battling cancer! Nik’s has put so much JOY in these young warriors life during their fight to live. Some do not get the chance to experience their wish, as they have lost the battle! My experience with everyone involved has been absolutely heart warming. God Bless! Keeping the fight against cancer!
I found out about Nik's Wish and could not wait to be a part of something so special! The first wish I got to help with is a 22 yr old woman suffering from Hodgkins Lymphoma living in NY. She is currently in remission, thank goodness. All she wanted was to feel normal again. Her wish was to care better for her body, rebuild her muscles and stop her body from hurting so much. Nik's Wish granted her wish with a personal trainer package, several massages and a gift card to be able to grab a healthy drink after her workouts. She is over the moon and Nik's Wish was the reason! I am blessed to be a part of such a caring group of folks that love to serve 18-24 year olds suffering from cancer.
Before our son Drake lost his battle to cancer, the Foundation sent us on a family trip to Florida. They made him feel so special and those memories are so precious to us. They help an underserved population that is at a unique and challenging time of their lives as they seek their independence and find themselves extremely dependent and scared. This helps them focus on something other than their disease.
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The Nikolas Ritschel Foundation made a HUGE difference to our family. When Kelli Ritschel heard my son's story of being a young adult battling his second bout of synovial sarcoma—the same disease that took her son's life—she immediately contacted us. Not long after, our family was in Florida sharing a dream vacation, where we had time to laugh, love and tour the local amusement parks. She kept in touch and even flew my daughter and son out the following year to Chicago for Loolapalooza, where they saw Paul McCartney perform in concert.
Kelli knows how important family bonding is to happiness, healing and maintaining a positive outlook. Sadly, my son lost his third and final battle with cancer in January but the memories that the Nikolas Ritscel Foundation created for my family were priceless.
The Nikolas Ritschel Foundation strives to make Cancer Patients/ Survivors smile- and they do just that! During my stem cell transplant, the Foundation reached out to me and asked if I would like a wish. Due to the incredible amount of stress and sickness, I asked if I could think about it. In time, I forgot about the opportunity. This past winter, the foundation reached out to me again and offered me a wish. Sure enough, they came through and provided me with a new iPhone 7. Organizations like the Nikolas Ritschel Foundation do an incredible job of supporting patients both in and out of treatment! I am so thankful for their kindness and love telling my other cancer-fighting friends about them! :)