Give a life-changing wish today
A critical illness can make life seem very dark and uncertain. Your donation means that we can continue to deliver more wishes to sick kids like Roxy
A wish is as unique as the child who imagines it and your support will ensure that we can give more kids their own unique wish journey, each step of the way.
Roxy, 8, I wish for a rainbow umbrella adventure
Roxy's story
Roxy is a ray of sunshine
From the moment Roxy was born, she was like a ray of sunshine. She lit up the lives of everyone around her, with her big bright smile.
Her family noticed she wasn’t meeting her milestones. At eight months, Roxy started having seizures. “It was all just a rollercoaster,” says Roxy’s mum, Simone.
We have a lot of quiet time, cuddling on couch. I actually feel guilty that I’m not providing enough fun for Roxy or doing enough outdoors. That’s why I reached out to Make-A-Wish.
Simone Roxy's mum
Dark clouds began to gather
“It was all just a rollercoaster,” says Roxy’s mum, Simone. “We took her for an MRI scan and we were told she was lissencephaly. Her brain is completely smooth.”
This rare condition means Roxy lives with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She doesn’t speak, communicating instead with her eyes and her smile, and she relies on a wheelchair.
“I was hoping to create some better days and some beautiful memories.” This is exactly what a wish can do.
As you can imagine, a critical illness can make life seem very dark and uncertain. But by granting their wish, you can give a child like Roxy something positive and bright to focus on.
I’ve never seen Roxy so excited, as she was about her wish. She had pure joy in her eyes.
Simone Roxy's mum
Roxy's wish
A rainbow umbrella adventure
Chatting with Roxy’s family, we found out she loved colour and nature. And we learned about her favourite thing in the world – her rainbow umbrella.
“If Roxy is having a quiet day or she’s not feeling well, the rainbow umbrella always lifts her spirits. Seeing the colours twirl round above her, it never fails to make her smile.”
So we all thought, how could we recreate that sensation, but make it even more colourful and more uplifting? That’s when the idea of visiting the Rainbrella Project came up.
It’s an art installation at The Ginger Factory, a theme park on the Sunshine Coast. The tropical rainforest garden is adorned with a canopy of hundreds, yes hundreds, of rainbow umbrellas – a symbol of joy and hope.
That’s what a wish is all about too – joy and hope – so it seemed like the perfect place for Roxy’s.
The lasting impact of a wish
For Roxy and her family, the wish filled their hearts with joy and hope. And this rainbow will never end. They will always have the happy memories – more valuable than any pot of gold.
“The wish will always hold a special place in our hearts. It was our best day as a family!” Roxy’s mum Simone
Wishes can only come true with your generous support. Please will you make a donation and help another child look for rainbows in the rain, on their own Wish Journey.
Give now to help a child experience the extraordinary
Right now, clouds are gathering for many families in Australia. Perhaps they’ve just received the diagnosis of a critical illness and they’re terribly worried about the future. Maybe they’re feeling exhausted by the endless hospital trips, or guilty about being stuck at home.
By giving a gift today, you can bring a rainbow to the darkest of times.