Perhaps it was the time of year – winter in Buffalo, N.Y. – that gave Michael the inspiration for his wish.

It was December 2007, and Michael had just completed 42 weeks of chemotherapy. He’d been diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a soft-tissue cancer, the previous January. In addition to the chemo, he had endured two surgeries on his leg.

The warm and sunny Southwest sounded pretty good to him.

Wish granters from the Make-A-Wish Foundation® had contacted his family, and Michael took his time, carefully considering ideas before announcing his wish: a family vacation at the Grand Canyon.

Michael’s mother, Cindy, was surprised. “He’d never mentioned anything about the Grand Canyon, but the more we thought about it, the better it sounded!” she said.

The canyon is one of the world’s premier natural wonders and one of the first designated U.S. national parks. The only holdout was Michael’s older sister, who thought the whole thing sounded “boring.”

It turned out to be anything but boring.

Wish granters pulled out all the stops to grant Michael’s wish and coordinate a fun and memorable vacation for the family, who had endured a grueling year helping Michael get through his ordeal. The family – Michael, his parents and sisters – flew to Arizona for a weeklong holiday full of surprises. They were given a warm welcome at the park’s Maswik Lodge, just a quarter-mile from the canyon’s South Rim.

“We had a helicopter tour of the Canyon, and later we flew in a small plane,” Cindy recalled. “Then we went on a jeep tour of the Navajo reservation, where we saw some ancient ruins. It was fascinating!” At an Indian marketplace Michael bought a Navajo flute, which he treasures.

The highlight for Michael was a 15-mile river raft float, starting from the base of Glen Canyon Dam and passing through spectacular scenery, including the world-famous Horseshoe Bend, finally ending at Lee’s Ferry. Michael was impressed when he spotted not one but seven rare California condors – the largest flying birds in North America, with a wingspan of 10 feet.

“We stopped for lunch, setting up a camp on the beach with tarps overhead for shade,” said his mom. “Michael had the time of his life! He really hit it off with our tour guide, Corey. All the kids went swimming in the 42-degree Colorado River, if you can believe that … Brrrr!”

Everywhere they went, Michael wore his special hat that invited people to “Ask Me About My Wish!” And people did.

Michael and his family have since become devoted Make-A-Wish® advocates. Cindy was overwhelmed by the generosity and warmth of so many people who worked to help share the power of a wish® with her son and family. When the holidays arrived this past year, the family saw the Macy’s nostalgic Believe campaign and decided to help. “We saw that this could be a way to say ‘thanks’ and to help other children receive their wishes,” Cindy said.

Cindy contacted people at local elementary and middle schools (the family by then had moved to Syracuse) and also Michael’s former school in Buffalo. They told a family friend who is a schoolteacher in Rochester, and she launched a letter-writing project at her school. All told, Michael’s family inspired the collection of more than 1,000 letters for the Macy’s Believe campaign, which ultimately generated $1 million for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We were amazed at how easy it was to get people to help,” Cindy said. “All we had to do was ask. … The response was immediate and overwhelming.”