Eleven-year-old Lee took a spiritual path when he decided on his wish experience. The young fan of children's choirs wished to have his relatives attend his baptism at a military base in North Carolina. Lee – along with his parents and younger sister – lived on the base because his father is an officer in a U.S. Marine Corps battalion stationed there.

The wish granters at the Make-A-Wish Foundation^® of Eastern North Carolina had their work cut out for them. While much of Lee's extended family lived in the area, others would have to travel quite far for the event. Lee's grandparents and his uncle were living in Ohio. His aunt was from Tennessee. A special nurse, who had cared for Lee when he was little, needed to fly in from Indiana. In all, the baptism would include 50 attendees.

Make-A-Wish^® volunteers started making calls. In addition to orchestrating travel arrangements, wish granters also enlisted the help of people on the base. The Officers Club agreed to donate food for the reception at the family's home after the baptism and also prepared to host the reception in the event of rain. The Hospitality House offered rooms for the out-of-town visitors. The Recreation Department donated a tent, 50 chairs, and 10 tables for the reception. The wives of marines and sailors decided to prepare meals so the family wouldn't have to worry about cooking around the time of the baptism.

Soon, the local papers caught wind of Lee's story and began to share the power of a wish^® . Employees of an area restaurant read about Lee and donated gift certificates to the family to ensure no one would have to worry about meals. The restaurant posted a copy of Lee's story so patrons entering the establishment could read it.

In the days leading up to Lee's Sunday baptism, a local limousine company picked up incoming family members and brought them to the base. Lee's dad's unit provided breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a brunch that weekend. Helpful marines retrieved the tent, chairs, and tables for the reception and set them up. Seeing all the food accumulate, Lee's neighbors came over to offer space in their extra refrigerator.

Finally, the time arrived for Lee's baptism. He was handsomely dressed in a suit. The family loaded into cars and drove to the chapel. During the service, a friend of Lee's mother sang a beautiful song. Both sets of grandparents served as Lee's sponsors. The boy who just wanted to have his family close was so happy, he smiled and laughed the whole time.

After Lee's monumental event, the family, Make-A-Wish personnel, and some of the soldiers went back to Lee's house, where the Officers Club had set up the reception. Many people wanted to visit with Lee, who was resting inside on a couch. He offered them his big, warm smile. When the celebration was over, the marines took down the tables, chairs and tent and made plans to return them.

Lee's big day was over, but the heartfelt emotion of it would last much longer. His parents later wrote, "Thank you, Make-A-Wish, for giving us such a special memory to treasure always."