A Dream is a WISH Your
Heart Makes
It’s often crossed my mind as to what I would have been or
where I would be right now if I didn’t have MAGIS Syndrome. Before my disease fully manifested itself, I
saw glimpse of what might have been.
I might have been an athlete.
This might surprise you, but as a little girl I was quick
and strong. No one could catch me during
a competitive game of “Duck, Duck…GOOSE!”
I might have been an obstetrician or a neonatologist.
Once again, this might surprise you, but I always had a
fascination with life and how a tiny little human formed from conception to
birth.
It’s sometimes bittersweet to think about what fruits my
other interests could have produced. But
today, I want to look at the gifts I received because of my Immune Deficiency,
not what I lack because of it. This gift provided a “magical,” season in my
life. Through a caring doctor, amazing
organizations, and a little bit of pixie dust a WISH that my heart made came
true.
When my disease fully came to a head there were so many,
“unknowns.” My rheumatologist could see the toll my illness was taking on my
parents and I.
He approached my parents asking them if he could nominate me
for a, “Special Wish,” through A Special Wish Foundation. The Foundation would allow me to submit my top
three wishes and then they would pick one of them and fulfill it to the “nth,”
degree.
Now what child doesn’t dream of that kind of star treatment?
But wouldn’t ya know, my parents told my doctor no? They said to give it to another child who needs
it more.
However, I really think God wanted me to have that WISH,
because my doctor came to my parents a second time asking if he could nominate
me and they said yes! My rheumatologist wrote a sweet nomination letter and the
Foundation asked me to pick my top three wishes.
And the wish they picked to grant?
An all-expense paid vacation to Walt Disney World! My family and I would stay at Give Kids the
World Villas, lodging and transportation exclusively for children with life
threatening illnesses and their families.
I was giddy with excitement.
I couldn’t believe I would get to meet Mickey, eat breakfast with Pooh,
and feel like a princess in Cinderella’s castle.
When my family and I got off the plane I couldn’t believe my
eyes. There was a volunteer from Give
Kids the World holding a sign with, “Welcome Whitney Ward,” on it! From the very start I felt incredibly
special.
The volunteer took us to our very own villa, and I was given
a special badge to wear so people would know I was receiving a “Special Wish.”
We visited Epcot, MGM Studios, Magic Kingdom,
Universal Studios, and everywhere I went I was treated like a princess.
Two precious moments stand out to me during that
vacation. Since I was wearing the badge,
I was able to be the first in line for everything. But even in these unique circumstances my
parents refused for me to be a child that expected special treatment just
because I had a disease, so we stood in the back of the line, waiting our turn
like everyone else. At Universal Studios we were waiting in line to meet Yogi
Bear, when all of the sudden Yogi saw us and he noticed my badge. He began tapping his guide’s shoulder and
pointing to me. His guide came up to us and not only brought
us to the front of the line, but under the ropes, directly to Yogi Bear to meet
him.
The
second memory I remember was at one of Disney’s character parades. If you’ve never been to a Disney parade, then
you’re missing out on one of the most magical and awe-filled moments of your
life, so we made sure we were there early to get a front row seat. The floats
and larger than life characters made us feel like we stepped into the movie,
and this particular movie we stepped into was “Toy Story.” 
What made the parade so special is many of
the characters walked in the parade.
Several feet away, we caught a glimpse of Bo Peep walking the street and
waving at the crowd. I have no clue how
she noticed me with the thousands of people in attendance, but somehow she immediately
saw my badge.
All of
the sudden she left her spot in the parade, walked over to my family and
I. She knelt in front of me, took my
hand, and placed a sweet kiss on the back of it. I was astonished Bo Peep would go out of her
way to make me feel so treasured.
