On World Wish Day, Young Tyren Johnson’s New Heart Will Sing Like a Siren

Today, April 29, is World Wish Day.

In Michigan, it’s the day 3-year-old heart transplant survivor Tyren Johnson gets to ride on Detroit’s Fire Engine 54, take a tour of a firehouse at McNichols Road and Grand River Avenue, and wear a badge, just like the big firefighters who keep his and other Detroit neighborhoods safe.

“I love fire trucks and want to be a fireman when I grow up,” he reportedly told officials with Michigan’s Make-A-Wish Foundation, according to a story in The Detroit News. Make-A-Wish is a donor-supported charity committed to granting a wish to every critically ill child who wants one and guided by the principle that doing so makes them feel better and, sometimes, get better.

Make-A-Wish Michigan made the arrangements with the Detroit Fire Department as part of World Wish Day, which marks the 30th anniversary of the first wish ever granted by the national chapter of Make-A-Wish.

Since then, more than 226,000 children ages 2½ to 18 have received wishes in the United States – one about every 38 minutes.

Make-A-Wish Michigan grants about one wish a day for a child like Tyren with a life-threatening medical condition.

Want to help make a seriously ill child's wish come true?

• Check out the many ways you can assist Make-A-Wish Michigan