When we told Willa that she could go anywhere her heart desired for her Make-A-Wish trip, her eyes got very big and she knew immediately she wanted to go to Disneyland. Then, she grew somber and asked, “How long will I have to stay in the hospital when we go?” It broke my heart to hear her say that! We spent so many years traveling for medical treatment from the time she was just a year old. This was the first time we went somewhere that she didn’t have to be in a hospital for part of the trip! She was so relieved that this adventure was just for fun stuff - no doctors, no needles, no surgeries, no MRIs.
When we went to Disneyland, Willa received her own princess dress from the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique and had a private audience with Princess Aurora. It was the most amazing experience! She learned the royal wave and they walked around Fantasyland together. When I asked her what they talked about, she replied, “Oh Mommy, it’s just princess stuff - you wouldn’t understand!” How wonderful, to be six and have secrets with Sleeping Beauty! All the people we encountered on our journey went out of their way to treat Willa with such love, a love she reflected back daily to everyone she met! We still look back on that “perfect week”, and feel gratitude and contentment for the memories we will always hold in our hearts of our own sleeping beauty.
