I wish to go to Walt Disney World® Resort
Rafi
6
X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome
Rafi’s Wish Is “The Thrill of a Lifetime”
When Rafi was just six months old, he started developing frequent infections that led to high fevers. “He would have difficulty getting over them,” his dad Dovi says, “sometimes taking weeks to get past a virus or infection.” Rafi’s parents could feel in their hearts that these were not normal infections that their young son was experiencing. After undergoing genetic testing, their worst fears were confirmed. Rafi was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening disease that impacted his immune system called X-linked lymphoproliferative syndrome.
“We were relieved our parental instincts were correct and that we pushed for answers, but we were also scared for the future of our child,” Dovi continues. “Rafi was the one that lead the way. He never acted down, depressed, or scared. Rather, he looked at his diagnosis and treatment plan as a journey to recovery.” Rafi’s optimism and positive outlook spread to his family and helped them to navigate the frightening road ahead that included multiple hospitalizations, a bone marrow transplant and near complete isolation from the outside world, together. “We knew the journey would not be easy but we believed we were going to pull out of it and were going to come out stronger on the other end,” Dovi says.
Rafi and his family were told he would qualify for a life-changing wish while he was in the hospital to receive a bone marrow transplant from his younger brother, Akiva. “Rafi immediately stated he'd like to go to Disney World,” Dovi shares. “He looked at Disney as a motivator to get through all the hard things in the hospital.” When Rafi returned home, that same hope instilled in him by the idea of having his wish granted motivated him to stay strong while he was isolated at home for the next year. “The fact that he was told he would qualify for a wish while he was in the hospital helped him tremendously,” Dovi continues.
We were able to see Rafi get his goal - as if the wish trip was a closure on that difficult chapter in his life and it allowed him to start anew in a way.
Dovi
Wish Dad
Rafi’s wish to go to Florida and visit Walt Disney World Resort was also a trip of many firsts – his first plane ride, his first ride in a limo, his first time in Florida and, of course, his first time at “The Most Magical Place On Earth”. The six-year-old, his parents and two younger brothers enjoyed ride after ride, character meet and greets and quality time spent together as a family. “Rafi’s wish was the thrill of a lifetime from beginning to end,” Dovi says. “For us it was a pleasure to not just watch Rafi but all three of our boys feel like normal, happy carefree children again, without the stresses that illness places on family life.”
Even after their return home, Rafi and his family continued to relive his wish though photos, videos, conversations and mementos. “We were so grateful that Rafi was granted a wish,” Dovi says. “Our week together in Florida was a week of bonding, a week of respite, a week of closure, and a week of healing.”
Today, Rafi is back in school and excelling socially, emotionally and educationally. While he will need life-long check-ins due to the nature of his illness, he continues to not only meet but exceed his doctors’ expectations in his recovery post-transplant. “We strongly believe that Make-A-Wish helped provide medicine that doctors and hospitals cannot,” Dovi says. “Transplant is ugly. There are many invisible scars we do not see, and a wish allows a child and the family to heal in ways we cannot see.”
Wish granting helps in the healing process.
Dovi
Wish Dad
