Leah's Wish
Leah's wish is a first-look wish story for our volunteer community.
This wish is PR approved - please contact marketing@makeawish.org.au if you would like to share Leah's wish on your local Facebook page.
Leah's Wish Capture
Four-year-old Leah absolutely LOVES ballet. Her favourite movie is Ballerina (of course!) and she dreams of being a ballet dancer just like Emma Wiggle - who she watches at every chance she gets, dancing along as best she can.
Sadly, Leah’s degenerative condition means it’s becoming harder for her to move freely so once she joined our program, Leah’s wish team leapt into action to make her ballerina wish come true as quickly as possible.
Leah’s mum, Michele, worked with the team to design the best wish for Leah and her five year old sister Abby who is also in our program. Abby has the same condition as Leah but it has progressed more, meaning she is non-verbal and has little to no mobility.
The wish capture was a bit tricky and required multiple calls and workshops to come up with an inspirational wish plan that the girls would love while being medically safe. Allowing Mum and Dad to have the time to find what really brings the girls happiness meant that when both wishes were approved, they were exactly as they were meant to be.
Then it was time to make Leah’s wish to dance like a real ballerina come true!
Wish Anticipation
The wonderful team at the West Australian Ballet were keen to help in any way they could. After workshopping how to bring Leah’s wish to life, the wish team set about making sure Leah had all the things a ballerina needs.
Shout out to Elke Sprunt, pictured below, our amazing volunteer and president of Perth Central branch, who found the perfect ballet slippers for Leah (and even sewed on the ribbons), a leotard, hair bows, a ballerina jewellery box and a dance bag to deliver to Leah in anticipation of her wish.
And to make the delivery of these gifts super special, Elke also organised balloons in Leah's favourite colour purple. Small details that make a big difference!
Leah's Wish Day
When the big day arrived, it was with much excitement that Leah and her family travelled to the West Australian Ballet Centre. On arrival they were met by our wonderful Perth Central volunteers Saige and Marilyn who showed them to a music and light-filled studio where the scene can only be described as magical - a special trail of balloons tied to ballet slippers leading to a cosy corner complete with rugs, cushions, sparkles and rainbows for Leah to enjoy.
And in the biggest surprise of all, Leah was presented with the most beautiful glittery tiara and sparkly tutu which was custom-made especially for her by the Ballet Centre's wardrobe volunteer Marian Green. And on top of that, the family were each given a personalised t-shirt in their favourite colours too!
Teaching Artist Brooke Jacobs then led Leah through a beautiful storytime adventure of dance which kept her totally enthralled. The whole family got involved - dancing, laughing and being completely swept up in the world of ballet for the entire time. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day, especially seeing Leah stop to catch sight of herself in the mirror and getting distracted all morning!
Our volunteers Saige and Marilyn were incredible on the day and called HQ afterwards with so much joy and excitement about how special Leah’s wish was - everything had come together beautifully.
The only challenge came at the end of the day when Leah refused to take off her tutu! The team was so proud that this was the only hiccup - and one which made everyone laugh.
For some extra sparkle and to keep Leah dancing, the team organised a subscription for online ballet classes which she can access at home any time. Let the dancing continue and fly high Leah!
Since wish day, Mum Michele said Leah wants to wear her beautiful tutu and ballet slippers everywhere - to bed, to school and anywhere else she goes. What a wonderful reminder of the impact of our wishes which couldn't come true without our incredible volunteers.
Thanks to Leah's amazing wish team - Jenna, Lucy and Erin from HQ and Elke, Saige and Marilyn from Perth Central branch - for creating such a special and unforgettable experience for Leah and her family.
