I wish to have zoo animal encounters
Rhea
3
brain tumor
Rhea's wish to have animal encounters at the Phoenix Zoo
Her wish – to visit the zoo and have up-close encounters with animals – was one of her first family outings since the pandemic.
“Rhea loves animals,” said her dad, Andrew. “She would sit with me and watch the Discovery Channel or Elmo YouTube videos about different zoo animals while we spent a lot of time isolating at home last year.”
“We never realized that Make-A-Wish helps kids with so many conditions besides terminal illnesses and it was very inspiring that they wanted to do something meaningful for my daughter.”
The team at the Phoenix Zoo organized a special, behind-the-scenes tour just for Rhea, who experienced some vision loss after her brain tumor and often relies on her sense of touch.
“Rhea had never been to a zoo before, so counting down the days to her wish to be able to meet and feel the animals in real life was something to look forward to and really exciting for her,” said Andrew.
“The flamingoes barked at me but I liked them the most because they were really soft,” Rhea said.
“It was fun to watch her interact with the different animals and be surprised by things like how long the giraffe’s tongue was,” said Andrew. “She’s such an outgoing and silly little girl and, after not being able to socialize as much this past year, this whole experience was a great opportunity to her and a blast for everyone.”
Since her wish, Rhea hasn’t stopped talking about the animals she met and how she wants to have more pets at home.
Her parents plan to get her a green Pacman frog to celebrate her upcoming birthday as well as the one-year anniversary of her diagnosis.
“Rhea is doing well now and we hope a pet can teach her some more responsibility. Plus, Pacman frogs are pretty easy to take care of since she is only 3 years old,” Andrew said with a laugh.
“Our family is so grateful for Make-A-Wish Arizona and the compassion we received from everyone this past year. I want to do anything I can to give back after our experience.”
