Life has not been easy for Poppy from the very start. When her mom was only 28 weeks pregnant, doctors told her that Poppy would be born with a heart condition. Initially, her parents were devastated, and they worried that the dreams they had for their little girl were going to be crushed. At 2 ½ months old, Poppy had a heart transplant; following that, she struggled with brain bleeds, strokes, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and more. Over the next 9 years, she and her family would spend countless hours traveling to hospitals and staying near them in order to keep Poppy alive. Her parents focused on their faith and keeping their family together through the hardships. Poppy’s siblings quickly learned how to care for her and understand her special needs as well as her parents did.  

Because of her health condition, Poppy is unable to talk or walk, but she understands everything that is said aloud. She is an absolute delight to those around her and loves to tease and make people laugh. One of Poppy’s favorite possessions is her action Bible. Her parents buy her a new one almost monthly because it gets worn with all the use. Her favorite story in the Bible is Noah’s Ark and she loves the idea of being saved. Poppy also loves animals and dinosaurs. 

When Poppy qualified for a wish through Make-A-Wish, the answer was clear: Poppy wished to visit the Ark Encounter in Kentucky where she could see her favorite Bible story in real life. Her family was in awe that they were going to go on vacation – something they hadn’t done since Poppy was born.  It brought tears to their eyes and to their children’s eyes. 

As the trip got nearer, Poppy’s parents couldn’t help but worry that something would go wrong, or their trip would get cancelled. It was hard for them to believe that someone else was planning every single detail of their trip for them and paying the expenses! The Make-A-Wish team and volunteers helped keep their mind at ease and helped them to enjoy the carefree time they spent with their precious family. 

Poppy was ecstatic when she visited the Ark Encounter; the animals and life-size Noah’s ark were beyond her wildest dreams. She couldn’t get enough! Her wish was allowing her to see a real-life version of her favorite story. After spending one full day at the Ark Encounter, she indicated that she wanted to go back and see it again for the next two days of their trip, so after zoo and aquarium visits, the family went back to visit the Ark Encounter where the staff were so kind and accepting of Poppy.  

Poppy and her family still look back at photos and reminisce on their once-in-a-lifetime trip. The experience was something that they didn’t think they could give to Poppy, and with Make-A-Wish's help, they were able to. Not only was the trip life-changing for Poppy, but it also drew her family even closer together, fueling them to continue to give Poppy the best care they possibly can and show each other love and grace through the hard times.  

In Poppy’s dad’s words: “MAKE-A-WISH IS AWESOME!”