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Ten-year-old Daniel Moretz thinks big. Most children his age would be happy to have the chance to meet and shake hands with the president of the United States. Not Daniel, a heart transplant patient from Augusta, Ga. When the boy was offered the chance by the Make-A-Wish Foundation^®to have his fondest wish realized, he didn't hesitate to say he wanted to be the president for a day. This request was tailor made for this special organization. Founded in 1980, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a nonprofit organization that fulfills the wishes of children fighting life-threatening medical conditions.

 
Daniel suffered through 11 heart operations and two strokes in his young life before receiving a new heart 18 months ago. But none of it could dampen his enthusiasm for serving as the nation's chief executive for a day.

The logistics of Daniel's wish were mind-boggling. More than twelve government agencies signed on board to assist in fulfilling Daniel's wish beyond his greatest expectations. Since the Foundation was founded, nearly 100,000 children have had their greatest wishes fulfilled. In that time, however, no other child has ever asked to be "President of the United States." After much planning, the date of June 13, 2001 was selected for the "Moretz Administration."

After much anticipation and thorough training, Daniel's day to be "President" arrived. After staying in a "Presidential" suite at the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, Daniel and his family had a breakfast meeting to outline his schedule for the day. Each of Daniel's family members participated in his wish by holding high level positions in his administration. Daniel's mother served as Press Secretary. His father and grandfather both served as Advisors to the President. Daniel's brother Lee and sister Morgan both served as Senior Advisors to the President.

Daniel and his family were outfitted appropriately for their special day. Brooks Brothers donated "Presidential Attire" for the entire family. Daniel called his blue suit his "Bush" suit. He wore it with a white shirt and "presidential" red tie.

During the day, Daniel traveled around town by "motorcade" and met with government leaders to discuss fighting crime, tax collection, toy safety and national defense. He even met with officials to advocate on behalf of school children for additional "snow days." Daniel's busy schedule did not preclude him from having a special "Presidential" lunch - a McDonald's double cheeseburger and french fries. Several hundred people who attended a speech Daniel made at the Advisory Board Company, a health care consulting firm in Washington cheered as the President concluded his remarks. The speech topic was a topic close to the President's heart - the importance of organ donation. At each of his stops, Daniel was met by cheering crowds and citizens holding up signs with greetings such as "four more years" and "we love President Moretz." Also at each stop, he was always referred to as "Mr. President."

At one point during his presidency, Daniel was rushed to the Pentagon for a "classified" briefing about a national emergency in the country of "Leoni." Several Generals worked with Daniel in his Commander In Chief role to determine a course of action to save Americans in "Leoni." After much discussion and literally flipping a coin, President Moretz decided to have the Army - instead of the Marines - rescue the Americans in "Leoni."

One of the many highlights of Daniel's day as "President" was laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Daniel was also thrilled when he arrived at the Department of Treasury for a meeting and saw a glass of milk and plate of cookies for him at the head of the table. He also loved viewing "role played" video news coverage of the "Moretz Administration." Several national and local television news personalities offered analysis of Daniel's presidency using phrases like "President Moretz has a remarkable 99 percent approval rating" and "President Moretz is wining praise from political observers for following through with his campaign promises."

In all, several hundred people from more than twelve government agencies and other organizations helped fulfill Daniel's wish. What did Daniel like best about being president? "I liked feeling special and meeting with people from the military," he said. What did he like the least? "He didn't like wearing a tie all day," said his mother, Julie.

Julie summed up Daniel's experience when she addressed a group of people who helped fulfill Daniel's wish at the end of his "day as President." She said, "and, to all of you, how can I say 'thank you' for the kindness you have shown. It is kind of like trying to say thank you to Daniel's heart donor family. It is true they gave the greatest gift OF life but you all gave the greatest gift IN life. You showed a little boy and his family that it's okay to dream and to believe...because wishes do come true."

Four-year-old Brendan is fighting a life-threatening illness. After he was referred to the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, the organization's volunteers asked Brendan his greatest wish. It didn't surprise Brendan's parents that he wished to meet the pope. Brendan's parents said that their son keeps a photograph of the pope in his room and loves to pray to him. Recently, the Make-A-Wish Foundation fulfilled Brendan¹s wish when he flew with his family to Italy.

Brendan and his family had a wonderful time in Rome. The highlight of the trip was when Brendan and his family attended a mass celebrated by the pope at Castel Gandolfo, the pope's summer residence outside of Rome.

Brendan, his parents and brother Joseph and sister Mollie dressed in their Sunday best. They arrived at Castel Gandolfo well ahead of time and joined about 20 people in the pope's private chapel. "The pope came out and said mass," Brendan's mother recalled. "It was very simple, just like our parish priest." Afterward, they were led to an a room, where they were seated in U-fashion around a chair, waiting for the 81-year-old pontiff. "As soon as the pope came in, Brendan took off and stood right by his side," his mother said. "The whole time, while the pope was greeting the other people, Brendan stood by him with his hand on his arm. He couldn't take his eyes off him. It was very beautiful."

As he greeted the others, the pope would wink at Brendan and pat him on the head. Then it was the Brendan's family's turn, and they had their picture taken with him before returning to their seats with Brendan. The pope gave everyone his blessing, then rose and began walking slowly from the room. Just as he reached the door, Brendan ran towards the frail pontiff. "Bye, Pope," he cried out. The pope turned around and walked back to where Brendan stood. Smiling, he leaned over and shook his hand and the Vatican photographer took another photograph. "It was really a special moment," said his mother, her voice still filled with wonder. "You could see that they just loved each other."

As they left, the family realized that they'd witnessed something special. "I think everybody felt that it was Brendan¹s moment," his mother said. "The kids said, 'Yeah, you know, the pope really loves Brendan.'"

Brendan's family stayed in Rome for 10 days. They toured the Vatican, ate gelato at a sidewalk cafe on the Piazza Navona and visited a lot of churches.

Brendan's meeting with the pope was a true wish come true!