EP47 - Lauren Potter - Spiking Challenges and Surfing Wishes

In this episode of The World of Wishes Podcast we meet wish alumnus Lauren Potter. A top junior Olympian at 13, Lauren was a relentless competitor—until a rare, unnamed autoimmune disease left her gasping for breath. After months in Boston Children’s Hospital and six rounds of chemotherapy, she chose hope over fear. When her doctor recommended Make‑A‑Wish, Lauren celebrated her recovery with an active, adventurous wish: surfing her first wave on Waikiki Beach, ATV trails through Kualoa Ranch, ziplining across thousand‑foot valleys, and a sunset on the North Shore that felt like peace. Years later, she committed to Yale volleyball, mentored other pulmonary patients, thanked her wish sponsors from the stage, and found her career intersecting with our Miami home—the Finker‑Frenkel Wish House—bringing her journey full circle. In this episode, Lauren shares how positivity, family, and a single wish can fuel a decade of momentum—and why she proudly wears “Wish Kid” as a badge of honor. Learn more about how can get involved at https://wish.org/sfla!Be sure to follow us @makeawishsfla on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn!Subscribe, Rate, & Review this podcast to support future episodes that will feature wish kids and parents' past and present, volunteers, donors, referral sources and everyone who contributes to this World of Wishes!