April is World Wish Month. WTOP has teamed up with Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic to spotlight the amazing kids and volunteers who help make their wishes come true.
Hard moments can tear families apart or reveal how strong they are.
When Bobby Mork was diagnosed with cancer at 9 years old, the world of the adults who loved him changed instantly.
What followed was not only a grueling medical ordeal, but an unexpected story of unity, resilience, empathy and grace.
Bobby’s illness started out with headaches and fatigue. Following weeks of doctor visits and tests, a late-night call changed everything.
A chest X-ray revealed a mass, and Bobby was rushed to Children’s National Hospital in D.C. It was at 2 a.m. when his parents heard words no one with a child wants to hear: Bobby had cancer, later diagnosed as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, an aggressive, fast-growing blood cancer.
The treatment was expected to last for three and a half years.
For Bobby’s mom, Kirsten Sutton, the moment demanded instant strength. She didn’t have the “luxury to cry or be upset in front of her son,” she told WTOP.
“That was the beginning of my brave face, nine months of absolute hell for my baby,” Sutton said. “When I’m away from him, I’m in the bathroom crying, thinking ‘Lord, please, please do not take this child.’”
Only eight months earlier, Bobby’s father, David Mork, married his wife, Bretton Mork. The diagnosis meant the newlyweds were learning how to parent together under an incredible amount of pressure within a children’s hospital.
“I think I became a parent in the pediatric intensive care unit,” Bretton Mork said. “I was advocating for Bobby and taking care of him, and that’s when I really grew into that role.”
Sutton said she was happy when David got engaged to Bretton, adding that it was just “one more person who loves my son.”
“David wouldn’t have married her if she hadn’t, but that’s one more person in (Bobby’s) corner and fighting for him and loving him, and I view that as such a positive thing,” Sutton said.
Bobby’s wish
When Bobby, now 11, was told he was being granted a wish from Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, it didn’t take him long to decide.
“When I was little, my dad’s side of the family always used to go to Disney World,” Bobby said. “I really wanted to go again, because it had been almost six years.”
During a Make-A-Wish open house at WTOP, Bobby sat in one of the studios in the Glass Enclosed Nerve Center, while his mom, dad and stepmother watched from outside in the newsroom.
As Bobby was being interviewed about his time in Disney, he didn’t say the rides, pool or even the fun food were his favorite parts of his wish. He said it was spending time with the three of them all together.
Bobby also said he knew everything was going to be OK, because his family loved him and would take care of him.
After the interview, when Bobby was recording a message in another studio, his mom, dad and stepmom stood side by side and were told what Bobby had said. All three had tears streaming down their faces.
“I think the biggest takeaway each of us had from it was just how much he reveled in having everybody around him together,” David Mork said of the trip.
While some divorced families are unwilling or unable to spend time together, Bobby’s three parents did more than make the best out of what could be an uncomfortable situation.
The way Bobby spoke about his parents when he knew they were not listening would be a dream for any mom, dad or stepmother, because thanks to them, his wish did come true.
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