11-Year-Old Boy With Brain Tumor Asks Make-A-Wish to Build Play Structure for His Classmates
11-year-old Edward Liu used his wish from Make-A-Wish foundation to build a new play structure at his school.
Edward, who was diagnosed with a rare brain tumor, could have used his wish on a dream vacation or to meet a celebrity.
Instead, he chose to bring happiness to his classmates.
While some people are fighting over a seat on the train or yelling at a waitress for messing up their order, one 11-year-old boy is doing everything in his power to help others in need.
Edward Liu was diagnosed with a rare, inoperable brain tumor, and Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island came to him, offering to carry out any wish of his dreams. While Make-A-Wish CEO Charlotte Beattie said about 70% of eligible children request a once-in-a-lifetime trip, Liu had another idea in mind.
He decided to make a poster that asked his classmates if they had one wish, what would they wish for? “Edward wrote, ‘I wish my family would live forever,’ and drew a picture of the four of us,” Edward's dad, Xiang Liu, told Today. “Edward was the sick one, but all he wanted was for us to not die,” he said. “That’s exactly the type of kid he is.”
So, instead of using his wish to go on vacation or meet a celebrity, Edward asked the foundation to grant him an indoor play structure for his school, where his classmates could play and relax.
Make-A-Wish commissioned Dacon Corporation to design a giant wheelchair-accessible geodome, which the school has named "King's Imaginarium." (King Edward was Edward's nickname at school!) The 15-by-8-foot geodome features a virtual reality gaming system and an area to make 3D art projects, as well as some comfy pillows for students to lounge on.
The 11-year-old is more than happy with how the structure turned out, according to Edward's dad. “Edward’s language skills have regressed and he’s mostly limited to a wheelchair, but fundamentally he’s the same person he was before,” he said. “All he has ever wanted is to do the right thing and be a person that others look up to.”
“At a time when Edward and his family are facing a range of medical challenges, they thought not of themselves, but of what could be done to make his school a better place for all children,” Beattie told Today.
Edward, you're a star, and that play structure is the coolest thing we've seen in a long time!
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