After 35 years, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted the wishes of more than 350,000 seriously ill children, thanks to the inspiration of one special little boy from Phoenix.
Monday, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center honored Christopher Greicius, a 7-year-old boy who fought leukemia until his death in 1980, with a memorial in the main hall of the hospital.
"He was my little buddy." Linda Pauling, Christopher's mother, said. "We did many, many things together."
When Christopher was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of four, the doctor gave him maybe three and a half years to live. Christopher and Linda made the most of it.
The pair would go four-wheel driving through the mountains, visit ghost towns, the studios at Old Tucson and go horse-back riding. Anything and everything they could to fit a lifetime of adventures and experiences into three short years.
More than anything, Christopher was fascinated by cops. His favorite TV shows were "CHiPs" and "Kojack." Christopher wanted to be a policeman.
In Christopher's last month, a family friend started to organize a special adventure for Christopher. With the help of Arizona Department of Public Safety, Christopher became the state's first honorary patrolman.
That wish sparked the start of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
"I feel wonderful that so many children around the world have had their wishes come true." Pauling said. "Three-hundred and fifty thousand children around that world that have been touched by one little boy."
Now, a shadow box hangs on the wall in a hallway of the hospital. Filled with pictures of Christopher in his law enforcement days, his diploma from the DPS academy and a book that his mother wrote, telling his story. The story of a boy who inspired a movement.
