Anna's Non-Stop Wish Trip Smile
Wish mum Sonja describes the effect of her daughter Anna’s wish as “indescribable”. In a critical condition in 2022, Anna could not stop smiling during her 2025 wish trip to Far North Queensland.
From grey times to bright times
There are two images seared into wish mum Sonja’s memory.
The first is of her daughter Anna, then 10, seriously ill in hospital.
“Her voice was silent, her face was grey, and I didn’t know if I was going to walk out of that hospital with my child next to me,” Sonja said.
The second image is of Anna’s wide smile and bright eyes during her wish to go on a glamping holiday with her family.
“It is hard to really describe the impact of the wish, huge as it was,” Sonja said.
“Simply put, the joy the wish brought was indescribable”
Medical terms weigh heavily on family
An active outdoorsy girl, Anna’s life changed when she got sick and blood tests revealed something concerning.
Doctors came back with a lot of big words - medical conditions - that Sonja had not heard of before.
First, there was Myelodysplastic syndrome, a group of disorders caused by blood cells that are poorly formed or don't work properly.
The next diagnosis came after genetic testing. It was revealed Anna also had Noonan syndrome, which can affect development in certain parts of the body.
“It (Myelodysplastic syndrome) is a pre-leukaemia condition and when it goes full blast, they cannot stop it,” Sonja said.
“That’s when it hit us hard, we knew things were on a knife’s edge.”
I don’t think I have been as happy as I was on the wish
Anna, wish child
Brother saves Anna's life
Anna’s parents were told she needed a bone marrow transplant to live.
Tests were done on all family members and fortunately Anna’s oldest brother George was a perfect match.
“George did save her life,” Sonja said.
“It was either she got the transplant, or she would die. He (George) didn’t think twice. That boy would do anything to help somebody else.”
George was always the brother to lift Anna’s spirits when she was feeling down.
One time Anna was sitting in a tree when George got home. She was upset about her impending hair loss in the hospital. So, George climbed up into the tree, sat alongside her and cheered her up.
“They did bond literally from the moment she was born,” Sonja said.
“Both our boys came to the hospital to see baby Anna. The moment George had that baby in his arms you could see, I don't know. It was really strange. The connection was there right from the start.”
Transplant trauma
Anna’s transplant in August 2022, went anything but smoothly.
“Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong,” Sonja said.
Most alarmingly, Anna was diagnosed with Graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), a serious complication that can occur after bone marrow transplants, where the donor's immune cells attack the recipient's body.
To make matters worse, Anna’s feeding tube had dislodged, tearing her oesophagus.
“Her whole skin literally peeled off from head to toe. Her palms, inside the ears. The nose, the mouth under the feet, the whole body peeled,” Sonja said.
“And because she was on so many drugs for her torn oesophagus, which was causing such pain, she had complete and utter memory loss. She didn't know who she was, where she was.
“She was just looking for mum – even though I was there - and screaming and screaming and they knocked her out.
“For three days she didn’t sleep, and I didn’t stop crying.”
Anna stayed in hospital for a month longer than transplant patients normally do, before she started to show positive signs and could leave and become an outpatient.
For three days she didn’t sleep, and I didn’t stop crying
Wish mum Sonja
Happy surprise for family
Sonja applied for a wish for Anna after a social worker at the hospital encouraged her to.
“I signed the paperwork and literally forgot about it,” Sonja said.
“And then one day I got this phone call saying Anna was approved for a wish and I nearly fell off my chair.
“Anna was with me and she started jumping around. She couldn’t believe it either. It was quite a surprise.”
When Anna met the Make-A-Wish volunteers to talk about her wish she was adamant she wanted to go camping and go snorkelling. So soon a Far North Queensland holiday was born.
“She wanted a family camping holiday because when she was in hospital she really, really missed her family being together,” Sonja said.
Serenity wows family
Once Anna, parents Sonja and George, and brothers Christian and George (jnr) touched down in Cairns, they headed for their glamping tent.
“The place was like a dream, you know you can't really believe that you were actually there,” Sonja said.
“The whole campsite was absolutely pristine and beautiful. And it's in the forest and the beach is right there.
“Every morning I sat on the little deck and had my coffee there.”
When they weren’t soaking up the tranquillity and beauty of their campsite, Anna and family were busy enjoying a host of activities.
Anna went snorkelling at The Great Barrier Reef, and visited
Mossman Gorge, Crystal Caves and Millaa Millaa Waterfalls.
Anna even swam in an (inactive) volcano – Lake Eacham.
Dad won't forget Anna on 'cloud nine'
Dad George’s favourite memory of the wish trip was when Anna was swimming at The Great Barrier Reef.
“She had been in the water and she came out and she was just so happy. I think that's the time that she was living on cloud nine,” he said.
George said Anna’s medical journey cost her two years of school and strained or tested her friendships.
“The medical stuff just weighed her down. There was nothing positive about it,” George said.
“The wish was a massive confidence boost and a positive weight; it balanced the scales somewhat.”
Anna, who is now 14 years old, believes she will remember her wish forever.
“The wish was a nice break from life and just being able to get away from the reminders that I was sick,” Anna said.
“I don’t think I have been as happy as I was on the wish.”
*Telethon 7 has been helping Make-A-Wish Australia grant life-changing wishes since 2000. Make-A-Wish rely on the generous support of partners including the Telethon to help make wishes like Anna’s come true.
The wish was a massive confidence boost
George, wish dad
