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When the Strickler family learned their son, then-2-year-old Grady, had leukemia, they had no idea what would come next. In the midst of the pandemic that stretched across the world, hospital visits and treatment days were in no short order. Over the next two years, Grady fought hard and had his final maintenance treatment in the spring of 2022. During that time, the Stricklers got in contact with the hospital’s social worker, who assisted them every step of the way with the Make-A-Wish application process.
Finally, it was time for what Grady had been waiting for: his Make-A-Wish trip out to Colorado. “We met with Make-A-Wish and brainstormed some ideas. He wanted to stay in a cabin and go on a train ride. Those were the big ones,” said Grady’s mother, Marissa Strickler. The Make-A-Wish representatives took these ideas and turned them into a trip perfectly curated to Grady’s wishes and interests.
The journey started with a sendoff dinner from anywhere Grady wanted. The Papillion Police force, colleagues of Grady’s father, joined the Stricklers at none other than Nebraska’s very own Runza. “That was my favorite one,” Grady said. Because of the personalized touches like Grady’s favorite treats and the support of friends on PPD, along with a pair of super cool Runza socks, Marissa considers this dinner to be an extra-special part of the whole trip.
As Grady flipped through the scrapbook made of the family’s trip by Make-A-Wish volunteers, he explained several of the images, showing all the knowledge he’d gained on the trip. “It maybe should look like a chicken, with feathers all over. But nobody really knows, since humans weren’t alive with dinosaurs,” Grady explained in reference to a picture of him standing next to a model T-rex. The dinosaurs were definitely his favorite part of the trip, he said, and this previous knowledge is coming in handy during his classroom’s current dinosaur unit. He also fondly remembers the slushee he drank while he was there, specifically the blue raspberry flavor and souvenir cup that it came in.
The photos follow the family hike around the park, and Grady made sure to emphasize the caution he took to avoid being bit by a rattlesnake. Thankfully, that was the biggest concern on the vacation. “It was so nice not to have to worry about taking medicine or anything like that during the trip,” Marissa said.
Grady’s paternal grandparents were able to join in on the fun about halfway through the trip as well. Marissa explained, “It was nice to have them there and be a part of it, because they were a big part of treatment and supporting him and us.”
The family also journeyed along train tracks on The Royal Gorge, using the open-air train car to take in all the landscape surrounding the area. The zoo was also a highlight of the trip for Grady. The stuffed giraffe souvenir from the gift shop has a permanent spot on Grady’s bed to remind him of “the giraffes that had purple and blue tongues.” When asked if the giraffes drank a slushee, Grady said, “probably a million!”
Grady has come a long way since his diagnosis in 2020. Now 6 years old, Grady’s love for trains and dinosaurs are combined with a love for simulating farming on Mars and digging in his designated spot for gold and fossils in the backyard. “His brain’s always thinking of ideas. Never stops,” said Marissa.
Grady’s Wish came true without a hitch, and Make-A-Wish has continued to have an impact in his and his family’s lives. “Within a year after his trip, he was part of the radio telethon, so I got to talk and he said a few words,” Marissa said, “and the Blue Jean Ball, we got to go to that as well.” During these fundraising events, families and volunteers with Make-A-Wish recount the ways their wishes have impacted their lives in so many different ways.
“(Grady’s trip) was the first time we were ever in Colorado. So the summer after that, we went back to Colorado Springs, and then last summer we went to Winter Park. So it’s been something our family has really enjoyed going and doing, and then it brings back memories of the trip again,” Marissa said.
Make-A-Wish’s granting of Grady’s Wish gave the Strickler family relief, hope, and joy, creating a new tradition they can carry with them into the future.
This article originally appeared in the May 2025 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
