I wish to have an ice cream birthday party
Sa'Jaya
5
genetic disorder
Sa'Jaya's Wish to have an Ice Cream Birthday Party
Five-year-old Sa’Jaya is as adorable as they get, with dimples and a sweet smile. Her parents were overjoyed when she was born but the following day were devastated to see her have seizures. They soon learned that she has a very rare disorder that affects her skin and causes epilepsy. Despite their fears and grief surrounding her condition, they selflessly contributed samples of Sa’Jaya’s skin tissue to Children’s Hospital LA so that research can be done to help children in the future who are affected by her condition.
When Make-A-Wish was working on Sa’Jaya’s wish, the pandemic was well underway. Although she was having a great time attending pre-school, she had to quarantine at home and was missing her friends. Many children like Sa’Jaya who were already dealing with anxiety and fear around their medical conditions were even more affected by the isolation and anxiety surrounding COVID-19. That’s why it was so important that we reached her as soon as possible with a safe and heartfelt wish that she could enjoy when she needed it most. Since Sa’Jaya is super young and a bit shy, with a little help from her mom Sade, we learned that Sa’Jaya loves ice cream, princesses and dressing up. So her wish turned out to be a combination of all three and she had an amazing winter princess-themed ice cream birthday party! The best part was it fell right around Sa’Jaya’s 5th birthday, so it was a huge celebration.
With support from our wonderful partners Trailer Park Group, we rented a gorgeous mansion in LA with a beautiful backyard and set up a party for Sa’Jaya’s family and friends to safely enjoy outdoors. When she arrived all dressed up in her limo, Sa’Jaya was greeted by a winter princess who invited her to follow her to the backyard. Sa’Jaya’s eyes got so wide, and she could barely contain her excitement at seeing a real live princess. Once she got to the backyard, she saw her family and friends cheering her on and gave them a sweet smile and wave. She quickly joined the party and greeted all her guests. The party included face painting and crafting stations, a super cool cryo-ice cream maker and even a unicorn who the kids all got to pet. They also really enjoyed the snow blower that sprayed magical snowflakes everywhere. Sa’Jaya and her best friend Skylar had a fun time dancing and chasing each other around in the snow – a rarity in Los Angeles!
