Through their campaign, Wish 200 Week, the charity Make-A-Wish UK is bringing together gamers, content creators and the games industry to help grant 200 wishes for critically ill children across the country.

To kick off this year, ten-year-old Ewan Reeve from Isle of Wight, was granted his wish to meet YouTubers Slogo and Jelly after finding much needed distraction and community with their gaming videos whilst recovering from surgery for a brain tumour.

“It came out of the blue. He hadn’t been poorly for very long,” said mum Stefanie.

In August of 2022, after an MRI scan revealed that her then eight-year-old son had a brain tumour, Mum and Ewan were rushed to Southampton Hospital.

Just three weeks after his initial symptoms, Ewan underwent surgery to remove the tumour. Ewan then began a seven-week course of intense radiotherapy in London, followed by a four blocks of high dose chemotherapy in Southampton – a world away from the family home on the Island.

Ewan’s diagnosis not only separated him from his brother and dad – it robbed him of his basic skills. His Mum said: “After his surgery, he had lost most of his mobility on his right side, so he had to learn how to eat, walk and write again.” 

But there was one thing that allowed Ewan to connect with his brother whilst in hospital – catching up on Slogo and Jelly’s latest YouTube videos.  

“The night before his brain tumour operation, I said we can put their videos on to put his mind into a good place. When he came round from the operation, he could barely talk but asked to watch their videos. We were in hospital for four and a half months, completely isolated from the outside world. We had to create our own comfort and Slogo and Jelly were it.”  

When the family found out they were eligible to have a wish granted by Make-A-Wish, it was this love for Slogo and Jelly’s videos that inspired Ewan’s wish to meet them.

More than 63,000 children in the UK like Ewan have been diagnosed with a critical condition and are eligible for a wish. That number is estimated to reach over 73,000 by 2030. 

During their time together, Slogo, Jelly and Ewan sat down to play Minecraft, building a mansion with the Minecraft pros before battling some zombies, Ewan’s favourite part of the wish. Even Ewan’s brother Finley, also a fan of the gaming duo, was able to have a play.

“After having gone through so much he was quite shy, but on his wish, he was chatting to Slogo and Jelly so much- he was so confident!” expressed Mum Stefanie.  For her, the highlight of the wish was “seeing him so happy meant so much for Ewan and I, it’s all you want as a parent.”

Wishes granted provide respite and distraction from the challenges critically ill children like Ewan face every day. To find out how to get involved in the campaign visit: make-a-wish.org.uk/wish200week.