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Homecoming: A Wish Fulfilled

BY MATTHEW BURDICK
STAFF WRITER

Every day, Michelle Wright would stare out of the sliding-glass back door of her home in Greer. Through that door, she could see airplanes make their descent toward Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport at Greer.
Michelle watched the planes come in for the better part of three years, even though it often made her teary-eyed, wishing that her beloved brother, Kyle, would be on board one of them.

Since Kyle lives in her family’s native Hawaii, Michelle knew that the only way she could see him would be if he flew into that airport. And she wanted that to happen more than anything in the world.
On Sunday, Michelle finally stopped watching the planes from her home because she was at the airport.
Thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, her dream had come true - her brother and his new wife, Tiffany, had made it to South Carolina.
The second that she saw her brother Sunday, Michelle screamed as if in disbelief that her brother actually stood before her. She threw her hands in the air in jubilation and continued to rejoice in Kyle’s presence while he greeted the rest of his elated family.
But Kyle saved his most special greeting for last. He walked over to Michelle and lifted her right out of her wheelchair. The siblings shared a long overdue, heart-felt embrace. Kyle hugged his sister so tightly, it seemed as if he might never let her go.
Since 1980, the Makea- Wish Foundation has granted the wishes of over 180,000 children with lifethreatening or life-altering medical conditions, including a total of 13,000 in 2008 alone. Make-a-Wish volunteers Hugh O’Neill and Kelly Pellerin said that despite the high volume of granted wishes, there aren’t many quite like Michelle’s.
Nearly 60 percent of Make-a-Wish children ask to travel to amusement parks or other destinations, but requests to send
other people on trips are extremely rare.
O’Neill, who has been volunteering with the foundation for nine years, lauded Michelle’s unselfishness and refers to her
request as the first “reverse wish” that he has come in contact with.
“Most kids usually wish to go somewhere or do something, but she wanted to do something for her brother instead,” said
O’Neill.
Kyle and his wife will be in town for the next two weeks, and each member of the Wright clan is enthusiastic about the time
they will have together.
After he landed and shared a hug with his exuberant sister, Kyle said, “I’m really excited to be here with my family, and Michelle’s obviously extremely excited too.”
Michelle’s family is as unique and unselfish as her wish. Their story is one of sacrifice, unconditional love, and two states nearly 6,000 miles apart.
Forging a special bond Michelle is a vibrant, caring 13-year-old girl. She likes to dance, exercise, and watch television, and
enjoys listening to Hannah Montana and the Jonas Brothers. She loves playing with her sister Kristyn, 22, and her brother Morgan, 18.
Michelle is much like any other girl her age, with one exception - she has been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. The condition
has affected her communication and motor skills, but the Wrights view her impairment as a blessing rather than a hindrance.
“Everything that’s happened to Michelle is all part of God’s plan,” said her mother, Nani. “We wouldn’t change a thing.”
Michelle can speak a few words orally, but mostly utilizes a combination of American Sign Language and her own personal sign language to communicate with her family. She also often uses her voice to express emotion, as evidenced by the screams of exhilaration that she let out when she saw Kyle approaching her at the airport on Sunday.
Michelle and Kyle have always shared a special bond. The oldest of the Wright siblings, Kyle, 25, took on a role as his sister’s caretaker early.
Like Michelle, Kyle also possesses an inordinate amount of the most evident of the Wright’s family traits – unselfishness.
Kyle lived with his family in Greer when they first moved from Hawaii. During that time, Kyle attended college and worked
overnight at Walmart. Regardless of how fatigued he was when he clocked out at 7 a.m. every morning, he still managed to
keep his sister in mind.
“Kyle would bring a toy home from work for Michelle three or four times a week,” said their father, Ernest. “He always set the toy on her pillow, and when she woke up you could hear her scream with excitement.”
In 2005, Kyle was two classes short of obtaining his degree in massage therapy from Greenville Technical College. However,
when Kyle found out that his grandfather in Hawaii had contracted melanoma, he curtailed his own dreams to help a
family member in need.
While caring for his grandfather in Hawaii, Kyle and his high-school sweetheart, Tiffany, resumed the relationship they had
postponed when Kyle left with his family for South Carolina. A justice of the peace married the couple in Oahu on June 5.
The Wright clan is looking forward to celebrating the union by holding a wedding reception for the newlyweds while they are
in town.
Michelle has always valued Kyle’s generosity, and returned the favor by using her wish to reunite him with the family in Greer.
The benevolence exuded by both siblings stems from an obvious source – their parents.
Michelle’s first years
The Wright family originally moved to the Greer area from the Hawaiian island of Oahu in Aug. 2001. They made the move so
that Michelle’s father, Ernest, could learn to help his daughter.
During Michelle’s birth, Nani lost an immense amount of blood and both mother and daughter nearly died as a result.
Afterwards, Michelle was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
For the first two years of her life, Michelle’s development was painstakingly slow. She wouldn’t roll over in her crib, hardly
moved at all, and suffered from severe constipation.
The family heard from a friend that chiropractic work could be very beneficial for patients with cerebral palsy, so they scheduled Michelle an appointment as soon as they could. Michelle’s condition improved greatly after a few adjustments. Her
movement became more varied and her digestive problems were alleviated.
After seeing the results of the chiropractor’s handiwork, Ernest made a life-altering decision.
“I was very impressed with what the chiropractor was able to do,” said Ernest. “I knew I wanted to be able to help my daughter
like that.”
At the time, Ernest was the head estimator for a paint contractor in Hawaii that earned $10 million in annual revenue, but even
his job security and six-figure salary could not sway his decision. He was determined to become a chiropractor so that he could better help his daughter.
Coming to Greer
After searching for over a year to find the right chiropractic training program, Ernest quit his job and enrolled in Sherman
College in Spartanburg.
The family temporarily moved to Cherrydale before buying a house on East Suber Road in Greer.
With Ernest attending college full-time and Nani staying home to take care of Michelle, the family struggled at times to earn
enough money. They say they might not have made it if not for the help of the Augers, the Herlugsons, and the VanDerGrifts. The three families each let the Wrights borrow one of their cars free of charge.
Everyone in the family also had to contribute a great deal to make ends meet.
While Kyle worked nights at Walmart, Kristyn helped Nani around the house and served as a second mother to Michelle.
In fact, the family now refers to Kristyn as “Michelle’s interpreter”, because of the uncanny ability to communicate with
Michelle that Kristyn developed over the past few years. At any given time, Kristyn seems to know exactly what Michelle is
thinking.
Ernest now works as a chiropractic assistant, so the family’s financial troubles have subsided. However, the Wright children
have continued to help their parents in any way they can.
Recently, Morgan began working at the Bloom grocery store on West Wade Hampton Boulevard, but not to acquire spending
money.
“Morgan doesn’t touch his paycheck. He brings it straight home and gives it to his mom,” said Ernest. Despite struggling with
money for most of their stay, the Wrights say that they deeply value the time they’ve spent in Greer. Ernest says that the experience has brought them closer together.
“We’re only making about 20 percent of the money we made in Hawaii, but this is the happiest we’ve ever been,” said Ernest.
Now that Ernest has completed his education and earned his chiropractor’s license, the family is looking to move back to
Hawaii so that Ernest can open his own chiropractic firm there.
“We love living in Greer, but we want to be closer to our family,” said Nani.
“I wish I could flip the U.S. and make Hawaii closer!”
More on Make-a-Wish
Michelle is one of 140 children in South Carolina who will have their wish granted by the Make-a-Wish foundation this year.
The foundation is funded entirely through private donations from individuals, companies, and fundraisers.
Some of their biggest corporate sponsors include Disney, Macy’s department store, and Bank of America.
In addition to flying Kyle to GSP, Make-a-Wish has provided the family with free pizza from Fox’s Pizza of Greer as well free
admission to Frankie’s Fun Park and a Greenville Drive baseball game. The baseball game tickets were especially appropriate, as the Wrights are baseball fans. Both Morgan and Kyle played South Carolina Dixie League baseball, and
Michelle has participated in the Miracle League.
In order to be considered for Make-a-Wish, children must be referred to the foundation. Michelle was referred by Pam Kimmel,
whose daughter Mindy receives physical therapy with Michelle at the Care Center in Greenville.
The Wrights are eternally grateful to Kimmel, their dedicated Make-a- Wish volunteers, and their wish coordinator Allison
Wilder for everything they did to make Michelle’s wish come true.
“Words can’t express our gratitude for the joy this has brought Michelle and the permanent smile that she has had since Kyle
came home,” said Nani.
If you, your business, or your group would like information on how you can make wishes just like Michelle’s come true, contact
Clint Hudson, Make-AWish Foundation of South Carolina, at 864-250-070

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