In 1998, Matt Pattison of Eerie, Penn., was losing his battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma when the Make A Wish Foundation denied his request.
Not only wasn't he 19 year old just over Make A Wish's age limit, but his dream for an Alaskan moose hunt put the international nonprofit in a tough spot with certain donors, among them animal rights and gun control activists.
A year later, while Tina Pattison mourned her son, Make A Wish made its stance official no hunting related wishes.
Read the article: The Herald and News (Klamath Falls, Ore.)