Dreams and Wishes of Tennessee

At just 3 years old, Will underwent an 8-hour brain surgery to remove a stage 4 malignant medulloblastoma tumor the size of a baseball. A small portion of the tumor on his brain stem could not be removed because doing so would have risked severe life-threatening injuries. Doctors also discovered two tumor nodules on his spine that surgery could not address.

Will has had 30 radiation treatments and seven months of chemotherapy. The side effects were devastating to his body. He lost the ability to speak and walk and even lost his potty training skills.

Through countless prayers, incredible determination, and the help of the team at St. Jude and his therapists, Will fought his way back. He relearned how to talk, walk, and use the bathroom independently. In November 2016, he was declared in remission.

Fast forward to 2026, and Will’s battle is far from over. He has relapsed 4 times, undergone 13 surgeries, and spent the last 10 years fighting for his life. He recently received new scan results, and the video is shared in the comments below.

As a result of his treatments, Will lives with permanent hair loss from radiation, permanent hearing loss from chemotherapy, stunted growth, scoliosis, kyphosis, and nerve damage in both feet. Yet despite all he has endured, Will continues to face each day with a smile.

He loves playing with trains, Toy Story toys, Batman, and PJ Masks. He enjoys being outside and especially loves spending time in his sandbox. Although Will will celebrate his 14th birthday on June 26, developmentally he is closer to a 6-year-old child.

For his birthday this year, Will has ask his family to take him to Panama City Beach. He loves the beach and loves playing in the sand!

We are incredibly grateful that donations to help make Will’s wish extra special were provided by members of the United States Coast Guard deployed in support of Operation Riverwall. Their generosity will help create precious memories for Will and his family and give him something every child deserves, a chance to simply be a kid.





Prayers for William God's Warrior!
Hayley Ryan Wilder

Meet 9-year-old Maryiah from Jackson, TN.
Maryiah was born with only half of a heart and received a heart transplant in 2020 at just 2 years old. While her new heart is doing well, she later developed Stage 3–4 PTLD, a serious side effect related to her transplant that spread into her lymphatic system. After undergoing very strong chemotherapy, her recent scans have looked encouraging and she will have more scans in July.

Through it all Maryiah continues to shine! She loves Bluey, Trolls, and Mickey Mouse. She enjoys being outside, and her favorite foods are chicken wings and steak.

Maryiah’s wish is a backyard playset with a slide and climbing wall!

We found an adorable playset at Costco that she loves, and now we need help making her wish come true. We are currently looking for someone in the Jackson, TN area who may be willing to help assemble it for us.

If you have a connection or would like to donate toward Maryiah’s wish please let us know! Donations can be made through our website at Dreams and Wishes of TN

We can’t wait to give Maryiah a special place to play, laugh, and just be a kid again.



Also a special thank you to in Murfreesboro for donating chicken wings to Maryiah for lunch!

You guys are amazing!!! We soooo appreciate all that you do for the kiddos!

We raised $712.50 Friday and Saturday for Dreams and Wishes of Tennessee!!! Thanks to all that donated to a great cause at Galaxy Con.

Look at this smile. This is why we do what we do. Enjoy your wish Jakob!!

We are super excited to announce that is our premier sponsor for our 11th Annual Golfing for Dreams and Wishes tournament!
Who wants to join us??

Meet 12-year-old Alli from Spring Hill, Tennessee. Alli was first diagnosed with B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2021. After fighting her battle and reaching remission in 2023, her family received heartbreaking news in November 2025 that her cancer had relapsed.

On April 10, 2026, Alli underwent a stem cell transplant and is now an incredible 99% donor match! While the journey hasn’t been without challenges, including several hospitalizations due to high fevers, RSV, and a few other complications, Alli is now back home and doing well.

Alli’s favorite color is green, “all shades” she said. She is also a fan of The Lord of the Rings, loves listening to Billie Eilish music, and enjoying some of her favorite snacks like spicy chips, buffalo bites, and burritos

Despite everything she has faced, Alli continues to have an amazing attitude about everything she is going through. Alli dreams of one day working at a zoo as an animal photographer.

Alli’s wish is to become a zookeeper for a day! She hopes to spend time with some of her favorite animals, including servals, big cats, otters, and raccoons.

She really enjoys drawing and expressing herself through art. She also loves being outdoors and enjoys activities like swimming, riding her golf cart, canoeing, and camping.

Please keep Alli in your prayers as her body continues to heal from the transplant.

Today I met the sweetest young man. I would like to introduce you to 19-year-old Jakob from Crump, Tennessee. Jakob is currently battling brain tumors.

On June 12th Jakob was life-flighted to Saint Thomas West because fluid on his brain was not draining properly. This caused him to lose the ability to hear and walk. Doctors placed a shunt to help drain the fluid. About a week later he had to be life-flighted again because the shunt failed. Then came a third life-flight after he suffered 9 seizures in a row due to more complications.

On July 21st, Jakob was transferred to Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital after doctors discovered the tumor had grown significantly in just 5 weeks and he needed a life-threatening surgery. There were no guarantees going into surgery. A few days later Jakob underwent a 10-hour operation. Thankfully doctors were able to remove most of the tumor. However, parts of the tumor remain around his brain stem because it was too dangerous to remove safely.

When Jakob woke up, he didn’t speak for days. He had to relearn how to walk, feed himself, and do many everyday tasks all over again.

He entered inpatient rehab on August 3rd and remained there for a month. Doctors didn’t believe he would be able to walk before discharge. Jakob left rehab on August 29th in a wheelchair, but he WAS able to walk short distances with assistance. While in rehab, he received the heartbreaking news that the tumor was cancer.

Jakob started chemo the first week in September and finished treatments a week before Christmas. He then began 6 weeks of radiation on January 22nd, going 5 days a week. He has currently completed his treatment regime and waiting to hear results from his most recent scans.

Jakob’s wish was for a gaming computer. Today, we surprised him with his wish at one of his favorite places to eat, Raising Cane’s. As you’ll see in the video below, the Cane’s team truly went above and beyond to make him feel special. Thank you Alex, for helping make this day unforgettable for Jakob!

Jakob, you will be in our prayers for good scan reports!

**Make sure to check out the videos in the comments section below! 🥰

Would YOU like to help make a wish come true for another kiddo battling cancer like Jakob?

Right now, we have 18 local Tennessee kiddos waiting for their wishes. The average wish costs between $2,500–$3,000. Every donation helps us create lasting memories for these brave kids and their families.

So excited to learn about this. Thank you so much!

What a fun day at the golf course for the Buddy Allen Carpet One to Towers golf tournament. Thank you Jenna Allen for inviting us out to set up at a hole. AND thank you two ladies for hanging out at the hole with me today! I hope you raised lots of money for such a great organization.