Most of us are familiar with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the excellent job they do to fulfill the desires of kids with dangerous medical conditions. But do you know how the organization began? It all started with a remarkable little child and developed into a worldwide movement.

In 1972, Chris Greicius was born early. When nurses placed him in the arms of his mother, Linda Pauling, they warned her not to get too attached since they didn’t really expect him to survive.

She expected him to, but she also believed he would never grow up. She claims she could tell simply by looking at him. That’s why she made the most of every day with him.

Linda and her family realized years later that Chris had leukemia. Linda decided that day to be a great mother to Chris and to spend more time with him. That’s also when Chris’ family members and friends joined together to make his last days memorable.

Their efforts made Chris extremely pleased, and they would go on to provide memorable experiences to hundreds of thousands of youngsters. To date, over 334,000 wishes have been granted throughout the globe, totally supported by individual and corporate contributions and completed by volunteers.

Watch the moving video below to hear the co-founders describe their tale in their own words.