One of the things we learned the week of Eli’s diagnosis was that any child, within a certain age range, who is diagnosed with cancer, regardless of whether it’s terminal, qualifies to receive a wish from the Make-a-Wish foundation. Even before his diagnosis was official, Eli learned that if he had cancer, he would get to make a wish.

The immediate thought was of Disney World, but Eli would have no such mundane wish. Why go to a theme park when he can shoot for the stars? During the weeks following the cancer diagnosis, in between doctor’s appointments, scans, and fear, Eli and his siblings brainstormed various plans and ideas for his wish. Ultimately, when the time came to declare his wish, he wished to experience the moon’s gravity.

He has a couple other wish choices in case we can’t think of a good way for him to experience the moon’s gravity (like a zipline in the back yard or a trip to Hawaii), but I welcome comments if you want to suggest a realistic way to experience the gravity of the moon.