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I wish to go to the snow and throw snowballs at dad

Meet Elijah

Ten-year-old Elijah might come across as shy at first, but once you get to know him, he’s a bright and bubbly kid who is always smiling and telling jokes. He loves to make up songs and dances, create comics and draw amazing pictures. His wish is to see real snow, and throw snowballs at his dad!

Elijah was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at 8 weeks old, and has spent much of his life so far in and out of hospital.

Cystic Fibrosis is a condition that affects the lungs, digestive system, liver and pancreas and Elijah requires daily chest physiotherapy to move the thick, sticky mucus out of his lungs each day.

Elijah has had over 40 admissions to hospital, with each admission lasting 2-3 weeks for IV antibiotics, and he’s had to have multiple surgeries and procedures.
Jess Elijah's mum

Elijah wants to see real snow

Staying active is an important part of living with the life-threatening condition of Cystic fibrosis, and Elijah’s wish to see real snow will be full of exciting activities, such as building a snowman, going sledging, making snow angels and having a snowball fight with his dad.

Elijah’s mum, Jess, spent part of her childhood in the UK, and Elijah has seen photos of his mum spending time in the snow and heard lots of stories of the fond memories Jess and her family hold about their fun in the snow. This really inspired Queenslander Elijah’s wish, as he would love to experience real snow for himself and spend time with his family, creating their own fun-filled snowy memories.

Wish children featured on this page:

Aroha, 13, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia - wish to help make more wishes come true
Elijah, 10, cystic fibrosis - wish to go to the snow and throw snowballs at dad.
Sienna, 7, anaplastic ependymoma - wish to be a nature person and learn how to care for animals

A time for the family to create special memories

Elijah, his parents and his brother Alex, will travel to Mount Hotham to experience a week of fun activities, surrounded by very real, very cold snow. Just like Elijah’s mum experienced in her own childhood. Elijah can’t wait to sled down a hill, make snow angels at the bottom and finish off the day by having hot chocolates filled with giant marshmallows.

Jess told us, “Elijah has had a tough journey, and has spent many special occasions such as Christmas, birthdays and family events in hospital. He has missed out on a lot. This wish is so special and means the world to Elijah. It gives him hope and is a positive distraction from everything medical he has to experience. For our family, it’s much needed time together, something that isn’t always possible.”

You can help!

13-year-old Aroha’s wish is to help other kids, like Elijah, to have their wishes come true. Will you join Aroha today, by making a generous, tax-deductible gift, to ensure more children like Elijah can have their unique and special wishes come true? You will be making an incredible impact for critically ill children.

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I wish to be a nature person and learn how to care for animals.

Meet Sienna

Sienna is 7 years old and her family describes her as determined, brave, caring, funny and clumsy. She’s someone who really lives in the moment, and her parents say she will always choose the hard way over the easy, as she loves a challenge.

And life started off challenging for Sienna, after she was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer at only 9 months old. Sienna’s mum noticed that Sienna was no longer using her right arm to play with toys or pick up food, and after a trip to the hospital, doctors discovered this little girl had a brain tumour the size of a tennis ball.

Kindess prevails in Sienna

Sienna and her mum were flown from Cairns to Brisbane for emergency surgery and to begin cancer treatment, including 4 months of chemotherapy. Sienna faced months of isolation, including 7 weeks of daily radiation treatments which left her with permanent damage to her scalp. After 8 long months, Sienna finally returned home to Cairns, but remained on oral chemotherapy for an additional 6 months. That’s so much for such a young child to go through.

Sienna loves playing with her big sister Ellie, dancing and gymnastics. This active little girl also loves building things out of recycled materials, exploring nature and to dress up in fancy clothes when the family goes out. Sadly, despite finishing her cancer treatment in 2017, Sienna also has an acquired brain injury which affects her life and learning, as well as permanent mild hearing loss caused by the chemotherapy. But despite all the challenges that Sienna has faced, this has not diminished her kind and caring nature.

Since she was 4 years old, she has always said that when she grows up, she wants to be a nature person who helps lost or injured animals. A true animal lover, she will always help any animal she sees.

“One time, she found a carpenter bee on the ground, so she made it a little home and moved it somewhere safe, with honey and water to eat,” her parents, Emma and Larry, recall.

She will also stop to help a lost dog on the street, took an injured bat to a wildlife rescue and will even stop and move a worn on the footpath, back into a grassy area.

So it’s no surprise that Sienna’s wish is to be a ‘nature person’ and spend time learning how to care for animals. Sienna and her family will be heading off to Dubbo Zoo, to spend time meeting and learning how to care for different animals. Sienna’s favourite animals are monkeys and elephants so she’s particularly excited to see them at the Zoo and learn more about their care and conservation.

Sienna is so excited about seeing and helping all the animals on her wish, where she can feel like she’s made a difference. She’s said she doesn’t even want to bring her ipad, because she just wants to be with the animals the whole time!
Emma Sienna's mum

Wishes inspire kids like Sienna

Sienna is just one of the 97 children, whose wish is set to come true by 31 October this year. And 13 year old Aroha is determined to use her wish, to help kids like Sienna experience the lasting joy of their own wish come true.

Sienna’s mum told us, “I think this wish will really excite and inspire Sienna for the future. It will open her mind to another world, one she could be part of when she is older.”

Wishes show children the possibilities of a brighter future, and give them hope and strength to continue. For Sienna and her family, the wish is part of moving forward.

“We are just to grateful that Sienna is still with us, as the odds of her survival were not great. For her to still be here, and actually getting to be the one thing she has always wanted to be is just incredible and heartwarming.”

Help Aroha's wish come true

We need your help to make this wish possible before Halloween

There are over 900 children like Aroha who are waiting for a wish right now. Kids like Elijah and Sienna, whose childhood is being impacted by a critical illness.

Together, we can bring more kids the joy of a wish journey. But we need to do it before 31 October. Will you help Aroha grant more wishes now?