Bridget was just three months old when her parents noticed a small growth under her tongue. Though it was benign, doctors referred her to specialists at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford to monitor it.   

As Bridget grew, so did her medical complications. Around age three, doctors discovered another growth—this time in her left eye. It was a malignant neoplasm pressing on her optic nerve. Bridget had cancer. 

“We were going back and forth between dentists and Stanford,” Bridget’s mom, Isabel, recalls. “Eventually, the doctors told us, ‘There’s no cure for this.’” The only treatment option was chemotherapy. 

Bridget soon began an experimental treatment that included two years of oral chemo. But when her heart function dropped to low-normal within three months, she had to stop taking her medication. Though the two tumors didn’t go away, they did stop growing—it was a positive development during a challenging medical journey for Bridget and her family.  

“There were positive changes,” Isabel explains. “Even though she still has them, they're hopeful that they aren’t going to grow. But we never know.” 

But, Isabel remembers, Bridget remained her loving, sassy, and energetic self through it all. It was around this time that she began expressing interest in going to Disney World, after hearing about the park from friends and watching videos of the rides on YouTube.  

“She got the idea in her head and kept saying, ‘I want to see the princesses and the castle. I want to go on rides. I want to do this and that,’” says Isabel. “She would just go on and on about it.”  

So, Isabel and Bridget’s dad, Moises, began to look for ways to make it happen. That’s when they learned about Make-A-Wish from their social workers. When they learned Bridget would receive a wish, Isabel and Moises knew this was their chance to get their daughter to Disney World.  

“I was over the moon,” Isabel remembers. “This is something that she had been asking for for two or three years already, so when Make-A-Wish came through, I just felt so blessed. I was so happy.” 

And the excitement was just beginning. Bridget’s wish reveal took place at the chapter’s 2024 Walk for Wishes, held at California’s Great America theme park in Santa Clara. At the event, Bridget’s wish-granting volunteers, Angela and Ali, surprised her on stage with the news that her wish would be coming true! They even brought a small Disney-themed house that opened to reveal balloons for Bridget. 

“We thought the Walk was for a bunch of different wish kids,” Isabel says. “But when we got there, we realized the whole celebration was just for her. That shock lasted about a week. We just couldn’t believe so many people had shown up just for Bridget.” 

As she stood on stage during the reveal, Bridget was in disbelief—she was finally going to Disney World.  

“When she got off stage, she ran towards me and asked, ‘Mom, am I really going?’" Isabel says. “I told her, ‘Yes, you are, baby.’” 

That night, Bridget hung the balloons from the reveal over her bed and began preparing for her big trip.  

“She couldn’t say ‘suitcase’ because of her tongue,” Isabel laughs. “So, she called it her ‘locker’. She’d say, ‘I’m going have my own locker to take on the plane.’” 

When it was finally time for her big trip, Bridget set out, “locker” in tow, with her parents and older brothers, Jesús and Ethan. On her flight, Bridget beamed as the airline crew announced her name over the speaker, gave her honorary wings, and even invited her up to visit the cockpit.  

The family spent an incredible week together at the Walt Disney World Resort, exploring the parks and going on rides. Bridget’s favorite was Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, a water ride featuring one of her favorite princesses and a climactic, steep drop. 

“Even now, when I think about it, it feels like magic,” Isabel says, smiling. “Just seeing her little face, how happy she was … it was unforgettable.” 

Bridget was so excited meeting her favorite characters. She filled the pages of her autograph book and took pictures with Vampirina, Chip and Dale, Pluto, and—of course—Mickey and Minnie Mouse. She even asked her parents if Chip and Dale could come home with them.  

Though they returned without Chip and Dale, the family did return home with a lot of happy memories—and to a community that was eager to hear about Bridget’s wish trip. 

“She just gets into people's hearts,” shares Isabel. “Everybody was asking how she’s doing and to see pictures, especially her medical team over at Stanford. So many people were so happy that she got to do that—that it’s what she wanted, and it came true.” 

The wish meant a lot to the whole family, Isabel says. “It still means a lot to us. That we went through all that stuff, and we got a break to enjoy ourselves and be happy for a little bit while so many things were coming our way.” 

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing,” she continues. “Those are the memories that we're all going to treasure the most for the rest of our lives.”