Brenda's Wish (PDF)

BRENDA'S WISH: A True Story of Faith, Family and the Testament of Love, is a unique story of Brenda Schmitz, a cancer-stricken wife and mother who, in the few precious months left, wrote a letter to a local radio station and asked a friend to deliver it when the time was right: when her husband David found a new wife to help raise their four boys. Two years later after Brenda passes away, David hears the words of his late wife for the first time and receives an incredible wish from the radio station. It's an incredible display of love, loss, faith and hope, and shows one remarkable woman's selfless acts to help her family grieve and move on after her passing. Keep tissue near as you journey through the dramatic stage 4 cancer diagnosis, a mother's determined fight for her family, a community united, a husband's paralyzing grief turned resilience, and inexplicable reaffirmations of love, guardianship and wonder from the afterlife. After the emotional Christmas wish interview was picked up by the evening local news, it went viral. Days later, David had 42,000 friend requests, along with 440 media contacts from Good Morning America, The Today Show, Ellen DeGeneres, The View, countless writers, and other major networks. The radio station received 13 full-size mailbags with letters addressed to David Schmitz.