Amelia’s Wish Helps Create a Turning Point in Her Treatment Journey

Amelia is a vibrant child with a bright smile. She loves to care for and cuddle with her kitten and lights up with excitement when she sees her favorite animals at the zoo. But when she was diagnosed with leukemia 10 days after her third birthday, life as she knew it came to a stop.

“It was absolutely devastating,” said Carrie, Amelia’s mom. “There are no words that can describe hearing the word ‘cancer’ in reference to your child.” Her heartbroken parents watched as their lively child endured agonizing treatments that left her feeling lonely and in pain.

“When we got the call from Make-A-Wish, we were in a really dark part of her treatment,” Carrie said. “It meant so much to us to have something positive to look forward to. Knowing that she could have a wish gave us motivation to keep going and made us feel like we could help her be a normal child again by giving her this experience that she would remember forever.”

When her wish granters asked Amelia about her heartfelt wish, she excitedly shared her passion for animals. It became clear Amelia’s wish was to be a zookeeper for a day. “Amelia has always been captivated by animals,” Carrie said. “We knew this was the perfect wish for her.”

On Amelia’s wish day, she and her family traveled to the Miami Zoo, their hearts filled with excitement. There, Amelia squealed with joy when she was presented with her official zookeeper uniform, complete with a matching explorer hat. Amelia giggled with delight as she fed giraffes and even had the chance to meet and pet a sloth. “Every moment was filled with excitement and surprises,” Carrie said. “It was life-changing to see how joyful the whole experience made her.” 

 To celebrate her exciting new role, the chimpanzees at the zoo threw a party for Amelia. They even held up a big sign with Amelia’s name on it. One of the chimpanzees, named Samantha, gave her a special gift. “My favorite part was when the chimpanzee made a fingerpainting for me!” Amelia said. Today, the painting is a treasured keepsake from her wish experience.

Later in the day, Amelia had the chance to enter the tortoise enclosure. As her explorer guide told her all about how to care for them, they noticed that the tortoises started walking straight toward Amelia at the same time. “We realized that her pink shoes looked just like the tortoise’s food, so they were all coming up to greet her,” Carrie said with a laugh. “It was a thrill for Amelia and such a great way to top off an incredible day.”

Today, Amelia is in the maintenance phase of her treatment journey and is looking forward to the day that she finishes treatment all together. “Her wish inspired us to keep going,” Carrie said. “It was a relief for Amelia. I hope that any family who is experiencing such a traumatic journey is offered the same opportunity that we had, because it is a very impactful experience for a family who is struggling with a scary diagnosis for their child.”