Now, she makes their wishes come true

by Ava Kellner, for the Community News Service

Turtles are everywhere when you enter the offices of Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New York. 

They’re painted on the walls, projected onto a 180-degree theater screen, and on the cover of the books they give away.

The turtles and the book are inspired by Jamie Heath’s experience. When she was 14, Heath received her wish to swim with the turtles in Hawaii.

Today, Heath works for Make-A-Wish. Her title is Manager of Marketing and Wishes.

Heath now guides families and serves as a source of understanding and support.

“I don’t know exactly what your kid is going through,” Heath said. “But I’ve been there, and I can help you through this process. We’re in it together.”

A common misconception about Make-A-Wish is that it only serves children with terminal illness. In fact, the organization supports children facing any critical medical conditions, regardless of prognosis. Heath is proof of that.

Heath’s story is one of resilience, determination, and agency – qualities she now strives to instill in other wish recipients.

When she was 7, Heath suffered her first hemorrhagic stroke. It was caused by an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a tangled cluster of blood vessels in her brain.

The location of her AVM – deep inside her brain, near her brain stem – made surgery too risky. Instead, doctors opted for radiation treatments to shrink the malformation. 

Over the years, Heath has undergone three rounds of radiation: in 2008, 2014, and 2023. After her first stroke, she made a full recovery. She skied, played soccer, and participated in lacrosse. 

At age 12, she suffered a second stroke, which left her with right-side weakness. 

“So, you can see I walk with a limp, and I can’t exactly hold stuff with my right hand,” Heath said.

Beyond the physical challenges, the second stroke also led to a deep depression. She struggled with a sense of helplessness, feeling as though she had lost control over her own life. 

“Then, Make-A-Wish came into my life and gave me a purpose,” she said.

Heath heard about Make-A-Wish and saw an opportunity to regain agency in her life. She convinced her mother, Joanne Leclerc, to apply on her behalf.

For Leclerc, the decision was initially faced with confusion as she had previously thought that it was for kids with life-threatening illnesses, and was unsure if Heath would be approved. 

But with advancements in technology and medicine, Make-A-Wish’s mission has evolved to serve all children facing critical or life-threatening illnesses.

After Heath experienced her wish to swim with the sea turtles, she shared her journey with others as a Make-A-Wish volunteer. Eventually, the local chapter’s CEO, Jamie Hathaway, saw an opportunity to reach more people.

“After hearing the speech a couple of times, Jamie Hathaway asked, ‘Hey, would you like to write a children’s book about your story?’ and I jumped at the chance!” Heath said.

The book is called, “Wishes are Medicine: How Make-A-Wish Gave Me Hope and Helped Me Heal.” It’s become a key part of the Make-A-Wish experience locally and in chapters across the country.

Heath recalled a defining moment at a Barre bookstore after her book was published.

“I was walking into Next Chapter to talk to the owners about ordering more books, and I watched someone walk out with my book, and I was like, oh my goodness. That’s my book. That’s my face,” she said.

Heath didn’t stop there. In April 2022, Make-A-Wish Vermont and Northeast New York hired her as their new Operations Manager, and later promoted her to her current position as Manager of Marketing & Wishes.

Heath’s new job provides another opportunity for her to influence recipients, Hathaway said.

“Hopefully, they get inspired,” he said, “and understand that this wish is their sense of agency around something in their lives where they haven’t always had control of.”

For Heath, the job is more than inspiring. It’s full of excitement.

“It’s really fun when I’m the first contact that a family has with this organization,” she said, “when I say, I’m the ‘Wish Kid’ too.”

Find out more about Make-A-Wish Vermont and Northeast New York on their website., To refer a child for a wish, go to wish.org/refer-a-child.

Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Times Argus