Isabella Santos had already lost her battle with neuroblastoma when I first met her mother and younger sister. Erin brought Sophia to my literacy center to prepare her for kindergarten, so my introduction to the Isabella Santos Foundation wasn’t through marathons or fundraisers but through supporting a family navigating life after an unimaginable loss. While I was teaching Sophia to read and write, I was also learning—learning about the severe lack of funding for rare pediatric cancer treatments and cures, and learning from Erin how to take action.

As my literacy center grew, so did my commitment to ISF. Ten years later, when I sold my business, my husband and I joined the Three Wish Society to further support the foundation and its mission. We had the privilege of meeting doctors doing lifesaving work and witnessing firsthand the profound impact ISF is making locally and nationally. Every encounter left us feeling hopeful and inspired, but none more so than our experience at last year’s Speakeasy Soirée.

The gala was energizing! Seeing Heidi Kirschner auction off the artwork she had helped pediatric cancer warriors paint made me wonder how I could use my own talents and resources to contribute further to ISF. I began to envision an anthology of poems written by the children themselves. And so the idea of Wishes and Wings: Poems by and for Pediatric Cancer Heroes was born. With Erin’s encouragement and the support of the team at ISF, we held a workshop at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Clinic last September. I wanted to give the children the freedom to express whatever emotions they were experiencing, and I was blown away by the resilience and positivity that flowed through their poems. The children who contributed to this book last fall were at different stages of their cancer journeys, yet their words were filled with hope, joy, and determination.

They shared their poems not only as a form of self-expression, but with the goal of inspiring and uplifting others who may walk a similar path. My connection to ISF began with Isabella’s mother and sister, so it is especially meaningful that Wishes and Wings opens with a foreword by Erin Santos-Primis and closes with a heartfelt poem by Sophia Santos. I am profoundly grateful for their contributions and to the families who participated in the anthology.

Honoring Isabella’s memory was central to this project, which is why the poems are organized around her three wishes: Beat, Grow, Live. ISF’s namesake serves as a powerful reminder that not every child with cancer sees their dreams realized—a truth made even more poignant when Taliyah, one of the contributors to Wishes and Wings, lost her battle shortly after the book went to print. If ever a reason is needed to support ISF’s vital work, these children are it.

To that end, 100% of the profits from Wishes and Wings: Poems by and for Pediatric Cancer Heroes will go directly to ISF. If you’d like to double your impact, you can also donate your purchase, benefiting both ISF and Levine Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders Clinic. Every donated book will be delivered to Levine’s, reaching the hands of children who need its message of hope the most.

A year ago, ISF launched the TORCH initiative, sparking the creation Wishes and Wings. My hope is that this book will now ignite a blaze of goodwill.

Purchase your copy of the book today.

Throughout the month of May, become a monthly donor of $30 or more, and we will ship a copy of Wishes and Wings: Poems by and for Pediatric Cancer Heroes to your doorstep!

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