INDIANAPOLIS — Providing hope, comfort and a little joy to those patients who need it most. That's the goal of the Little Wish Foundation, which grants little wishes for pediatric oncology patients across the city.
WRTV spoke with Founder Liz Loewenstein about their mission and what you can do to help this Giving Tuesday and beyond.
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“The beauty of life is just found in those little things, so that’s the beauty of what we do," Loewenstein said.
She created Little Wish Foundation back in 2010 when she was just 16 years old.
“I had a friend named Max who passed away from Wilms Tumor, which is a childhood kidney cancer, and I went to his wake with my mom, and that day forever changed my life," Loewenstein said.
Before Max passed away, his last 'little wish' was to get a puppy.
“His parents bought him that puppy," Loewenstein said with a smile. "And that brought him so much joy. So I took that idea of little things meaning a lot, and I wanted to do other little gifts like that.”
So, she turned that one gift into many, many more.
“Liz herself brought that gift to him and sat in that room and spent time with him, talking to him about his journey," Tracy Bevelhimer, whose son Cody was a little wish recipient, said.
Cody was diagnosed with T-Cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Bevehimer said that the gift made all the difference.
“Cody’s spirit immediately rose. He picked up that package, and he unwrapped that, and it was his computer," she explained. "It wasn’t about the money. It wasn’t about what that gift cost. It was the fact that it was specifically for him to help him at a time when he really needed it.”
“It’s giving them a distraction and a moment of hope, comfort and joy," Loewenstein stated.
Since she started the foundation in 2010, Little Wish has granted more than 4,500 wishes to kids at 19 different hospitals in 11 states.
“It’s simple and it’s something achievable and it's something they don’t have to wait a long time for," Loewenstein said.
If you would like to help a child in need, the foundation is hosting its 25 Days of Joy campaign starting on Giving Tuesday.
“For 25 days, we highlight a different child going through cancer treatment," Loewenstein explained. "So people have the ability to go to our website, see who the highlighted child is each day, and you can make his or her little wish come true.”
Because no matter who you are.
“Truly every single person can make a big difference," Loewenstein stated.
Even with just a little wish.
If you would like to donate to the Little Wish Foundation, you can go to their website here.
You can also find more information about 25 Days of Joy, and learn more about the children you could help.
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Casey Zanowic is the In Your Community reporter for North Side Indy. She joined WRTV in July of 2025. Casey has a passion for storytelling and is ready to showcase impactful stories that make a difference in her community. Share your story ideas and important issues with Casey by emailing her at casey.zanowic@wrtv.com.
