'Both Our Wishes Came True'
My brother’s wish was to go to Walt Disney World® Resort. My wish has always been to see him included and celebrated for who he is.
By Madelin Glasser
My brother is my best friend. I don’t say that lightly. Dave has always been and always will be there for me. His medical diagnosis labels him with a rare chromosomal abnormality, stating he’ll never walk without assistance, never talk, and that he’ll always be different. But, to me, he’s just Dave, my little brother.
Having a brother with special needs means many things, but mostly, it has shaped who I am today. I had to grow up a little faster than my peers and have a stronger bond with my family. I am one of Dave’s biggest advocates and have always wanted him to be included despite how people treated him negatively by ignoring him or staring at him for being different.
When we opened our welcome packet from Make-A-Wish Northeast New York, we couldn’t fathom it was real. Dave’s wish was to go to Walt Disney World® Resort was coming true. He couldn’t wait to meet Mickey Mouse, which we would many times. We were starting off 2020 with a great adventure to Florida.
At Disney, people who weren’t his family celebrated Dave for the first time in his life. We were in Animal Kingdom and went to meet Goofy. Wearing our Make-A-Wish buttons and bracelets, we moved to the front of the line. I overheard the family behind us explaining to their son, who was maybe six, what it meant to be a Make-A-Wish kid.
Two remarkable things happened: Dave and Goofy went on a walk that ended up being an impromptu meet-and-greet with Pluto and Donald Duck. As incredible as that was, what happened only moments before seemed far more magical.
That little boy walked over to us and asked if he could give Dave his stuffed dinosaur. That was more magical than anything else we had seen at Disney.
In the 20 years I have known my brother, he had never been so happy in his life than on that trip. His contagious smile brought tears to our eyes. I owe it all to Make-A-Wish; without them, I don’t know if I would have seen my brother smile like that.
My brother’s wish was to go to Disney World. My wish has always been to see him included and celebrated for who he is.
Both of our wishes came true.
Madelin Glasser, a senior at The College of St. Rose, is a marketing and communications intern for Make-A-Wish Northeast New York.
