Six-year-old Adaileen is a joyful and empathetic child who loves riding her bike, swimming, jumping on her trampoline, and taking care of her younger sister, Haevyn. Her parents, Mike and Paige, noticed something unusual six weeks after her birth when Adaileen turned her entire body toward Mike instead of just her head when called. Trusting their instincts due to their healthcare backgrounds, they took her for tests, which revealed that Adaileen had experienced a stroke that affected a large part of her brain.

At age two, Adaileen had her first seizure, and as the seizures became more frequent and prolonged, her medical team developed an action plan. Neurologists diagnosed Adaileen with a right-sided MCA stroke, hemiplegia, and drug-resistant epilepsy, recommending surgery as the next step. After some research, the family found Dr. Bingaman, a renowned neurosurgeon, and quickly scheduled Adaileen's surgery to prevent more life-threatening seizures.

In the following years, Adaileen underwent seven surgeries, numerous flights to Cleveland Clinic, and intensive physical therapy. Throughout this challenging time, Mike and Paige introduced the idea of Make-A-Wish to Adaileen, with her doctors helping connect the family to Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana. When Adaileen met with her wish team, she was eager to share about her love for Disney, and she wished to visit Disney World. “I want to take my whole family,” she told her wish granters. Disney magic was sprinkled upon the whole trip. Adaileen rode to the airport in a pink limo, and, during the flight to Disney World, Adaileen was invited to visit the cockpit and make an announcement on the overhead paging system. The trip was packed with visits to all four Disney theme parks and Universal Studios.

Adaileen met all her favorite Disney characters. She skipped through the park with Donald and Daisy Duck, posed for pictures with Disney princesses, and was transformed into a princess of her own in front of Cinderella’s castle. The family enjoyed the rides, and Adaileen loved visiting the animals at Animal Kingdom, especially the red panda, her favorite. “Everyone at Disney was super accommodating to make her wish special,” Mike recalls, explaining how Adaileen didn’t have to wait in any lines to meet the characters. 

Adaileen and her family stayed at Give Kids the World, a resort built specially for wish trips of children with critical illnesses. “Give Kids the World has everything a kid could wish for,” Mike says. “The carousel, the rides, the star ceremony, the music, the food, ice cream anytime you want, trains, you name it.” At the resort, Adaileen received special visitors, and, at night, characters tucked her into bed.

Mike laughs, thinking about the hundreds of photos he took. The trip was a time for Adaileen to be her happy, positive self. “It was a very magical trip. She really had the time of her life. And after all the obstacles and bumps and her long journey, it was super awesome to get to see her have fun and get spoiled for a whole week.”

Mike and Paige now work to raise money for Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana in hopes of allowing more families the chance to experience a gift as special as the one Make-A-Wish gave them.