Make-A-Wish cries from Onion.

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A spoof television show prompted the Make-A-Wish Foundation to set the record straight about its wish policy and even spawned an entry on the urban legends Web site: www.snopes.com

The Onion News Network, the television version of the satirical newspaper, featured Chad Carter, a fictitious Boston-area boy stricken with leukemia who wished for "unlimited wishes," sending the Make-A-Wish Foundation teetering toward bankruptcy. The boy wished for, among other things, his face carved on Mount Rushmore (by 2031), a water balloon catapult, and "all Batmobiles ever."

Enough people must not have realized the satirical nature of The Onion, or were duped by the high-quality broadcast. But one television anchor hoping for the boy's prompt demise probably could have been a clue. Either way, Make-A-Wish cleared things up to be sure.

On its Web site, the Phoenix-based organization assures donors that it's financially sound. "Make-A-Wish will not grant 'unlimited wishes' to a wish child. The policy is clear: We grant the one true wish of each eligible child with a life-threatening illness."

The fictional television show "Today Now!" even "interviewed" the foundation's "president," someone by the name of Dean Feinglass, who informed the morning show anchors that every time he tries to address the issue, such as a pro bono legal team, the boy wishes it away. "Boy, this kid thinks of everything," the anchors exclaimed.

See the story at: www.theonion.com/content/video/child_bankrupts_make_a_wish_O