WATCH LOVE GROW | WISHES
About Whitford
Olivia “Whitford” Wooten is 34 years old, a daughter, sister, friend, and a woman whose faith and strength have touched thousands of people.
Nine years ago, Whitford lost her father to ALS just 11 months after his diagnosis. Years later, at only 31 years old, Whitford received the same devastating diagnosis.
For more than three years, she has lived with ALS with remarkable courage, humor, honesty, and faith. Today, Whitford is on hospice and largely homebound, but she continues to remind those following her story what it looks like to find purpose, gratitude, and even joy in the midst of unimaginable circumstances.
There is one place Whitford still talks about constantly: Boston. It is her favorite city—a place filled with memories she loves. She tells her hospice nurses about the restaurants, bakeries, museums, and parks they should visit someday, and her mom says her face still lights up when she talks about it.
So we want to take her back.
Through Watch Love Grow | Wishes, our hope is to give Whitford one more beautiful trip to the city she loves, surrounded by her mother and the nurses who care for her—and to remind her that she is deeply loved.
This is more than a trip to Boston. It is an opportunity to show up for someone while we still can, to love extravagantly, and to give Whitford and the people who love her memories they will carry forever.
We are sending Whitford back to Boston.
September 10-13, 2026
On August 10, we launched Watch Love Grow | Wishes with one simple hope: to take Whitford back to Boston.
We are raising funds to make this possible by arranging private medical travel—the only option that can safely accommodate her declining health.
Whitford will be flown to Boston accompanied by her mother, a close friend, and two of her hospice nurses, ensuring she is surrounded by the people who love and care for her most.
In an extraordinary act of generosity, the Seaport Hotel has donated an executive suite along with two additional rooms for the duration of her stay. When asked why, the hotel manager simply said, “If this is someone’s last wish, then we will make it come true.”
This is more than a trip to Boston. It is a chance to honor Whitford’s wish while we still can—to surround her with love, to create lasting memories, and to give her a final journey back to a place that has always felt like home in her heart.
Be Part of Whitford’s Wish
Not everyone who loves Whitford can travel to Boston with her—but your words can.
Sponsor a Meal
We would love to have individuals, families, friends, or businesses sponsor meals for Whitford and those traveling with her. If you choose to sponsor a meal, we ask you to also write a card or letter to Whitford. Your message will be brought to Boston and read to her during the meal you helped provide, allowing you to be part of that moment from wherever you are. Please email ashley@watchlovegrow.org if you would like to donate a meal!
Send a Letter to Whitford
Some gifts don’t have a price tag.
We are also collecting letters from anyone whose life has been touched by Whitford. Tell her what she means to you. Share a favorite memory, something she taught you, a way she made you laugh, how her faith impacted yours, or simply something you want her to know.
I will send the letters with her to Boston to open throughout the trip - over coffee, in the quiet moments, while exploring her favorite city, and whenever she needs a reminder of just how deeply her life has mattered.
Our hope is that throughout this journey, Whitford will hear again and again the impact she has made simply by being who she is.
Let’s fill her days in Boston not only with places she loves, but with the words of the people who love her.
Letters can be mailed to:
Watch Love Grow
c/o WHITFORD
5526 Five Knolls Drive
Charlotte, NC 28226
Letters must be received by September 6th.