Make-A-Wish

Make-A-Wish

Back in December Erin was selected to be a Wish Kid through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in Utah.  She received this cool hat and key in the mail.  Erin was super excited about the key, especially when we told her that it would open up a Wishing House!  We had a fun time trying to get the hat to stay on.

She kept laughing so hard when the hat would fall off.

In January, our family went to Salt Lake City to visit the Wishing House.  Previously, I had talked and talked with Erin and tried so hard to prep her in picking something that she really really wanted for her wish.  I tried to explain what a "wish" was, but I wasn't sure that she really understood.

When we got there, this big poster was by the front door welcoming Erin!

Erin met with her wish granters.  However, she was all over the place, running around, jumping on the furniture and playing with toys.  It was hard to contain her excitement.  She wanted to play and wasn't all that interested in talking.  But, her wish granters pulled out some pictures of possible wishes that she might have.  The pictures were of a playhouse, Disney Princesses, a Dora the Explorer bedroom, a playground, and a Disney cruise ship to name a few.  They asked Erin to pick one that she liked.

She immediately picked the Dora the Explorer bedroom and then went for the picture of the Disney Princesses.  They asked her which one she wanted the most.  She picked the Disney Princesses.  They asked her if she would like to meet the Princesses.  Of course she yelled, "yes!"

As far as a wish goes, the wish kid is invited to pick 3 wishes in case the granters aren't able to make the child's first wish happen. Erin only put in two wish requests.

1. Meet the Disney Princesses

2. A Dora the Explorer Bed 

Here she is putting her wishes inside a gold tube.

She took the gold tube to the wishing tower room. 

The first video below is of her opening the wishing room and then each of us telling Erin what we would wish for her.  The second video is of her putting her wish in the wizard's hat complete with a water fountain, flashing lights, and magical music.  It makes me emotional just watching it and remembering the feelings I had as I watched her make her very own special wish.  She was so excited about it all!

All of us in the wishing tower room with the wizard hat!

We received a phone call recently from Make-A-Wish letting us know that Erin's wish has been granted.  She is going to Disneyworld to meet the princesses.  Our family will get to stay at the Give Kids The World Village in Florida.  It is a special village only for wish kids and their families.  We will be going to Disneyworld in June.  It is miraculous timing because her trip falls exactly a year after she was diagnosed with AML.  Even more special, is that she will turn 3 years old while we are at Disneyworld.  A much better birthday celebration that when we celebrated her 2nd birthday in her hospital room getting her head shaved.  We have set up to have a luncheon at Cinderella's Castle on her birthday.  She cannot stop talking about it! 

Make-A-Wish is such an amazing foundation!  They have helped us to forget the awfulness of what our family has just been through.  They have made us feel so important and they have given Erin so much hope and something really special and exciting to look forward to.  Sometimes at night when I am tucking Erin into bed she whispers to me that she made a wish at the wishing house and that she gets to meet the princesses.  June just can't come soon enough for her!