Radio Station Grants Last Wish—2 Years After Death

Brenda Schmitz wanted best for remarried husband, kids
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 23, 2013 9:04 AM CST

A month before she died of ovarian cancer in September 2011, Brenda Schmitz wrote down a few wishes for her family—her husband, her four boys, and the special woman she hoped they would find. They weren't to be read until after her husband had remarried. This year, a friend fulfilled a promise to Schmitz by sending the letter to Des Moines radio station Star 102.5, which, for the past two decades, has granted Christmas wishes. "When you are in receipt of this letter, I will already have lost my battle to ovarian cancer," Schmitz wrote. "I have a wish for David and the boys and the woman and her family if she has kids also." (New wife Jane does indeed have two.) "I want them to know I love them very much and they always feel safe in a world of pain."

She asked for pampering for Jane, who "deserves it" for "being a step-mother to all those boys ... I love you whoever you are." For the family, she wished for "a magical trip," and for her treatment team she asked for "a night out full of drinks, food and fun." The station, with sponsors' backing, is sending the family to Disney World, where Jane will get a massage. Meanwhile, her treatment team will receive three "food drops" from a caterer. David Schmitz had heard he was getting a wish granted, but he didn't know who it was from until it was read out live on Thursday, with him in the studio, the Des Moines Register reports. "It’s not surprising, ’cause the last year and a half she’s shown so many signs that she’s there," David says. Read her letter in full here. (More Des Moines stories.)

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