Tough choice.(THE GOODNESS OF AMERICA)

Joseph Anderson, a 10-year-old boy from Elmwood, Nebraska, was born with spina bifida, a birth defect allowing the spinal cord to protrude through an opening in the bones. Three years ago, Joseph and his parents, Vince and Julie Anderson, were visited by two "wish granters" from the Make-A-Wish foundation. Though the foundation originally granted wishes only to terminally ill children, several years back it changed its rules to include children whose illnesses were life-threatening but not necessarily terminal.

After thinking about an endless possibility of wishes, Joseph was overwhelmed. "He pondered that for a minute and then told them that he was too young to make that decision right now," his mother, Julie, told the Ashland Gazette (Nebraska). "[We told them] they should come back when he was older."

Come back they did, and Joseph eventually decided he would like to go to Disney World. Before leaving, however, the "wish granters" arranged for a surprise party for Joe at Flying Wheels Fun Center, a skating rink in Elmwood owned by his family, secretly inviting all of his friends from the fourth grade at his elementary school.

Five days later, on May 10, Joe and his family were picked up and driven to Eppley Airfield in Omaha by a Hummer stretch limousine. Joe and his sister Millie were both introduced to the crew on the plane, ...