Haidar's Wish to be a Lion
Haidar’s wish was off to a roaring start, as this brave little lion joined his favourite footy team - The Brisbane Lions
Haidar gets a kick out of footy
Haidar loves everything about footy. He loves to watch, listen to and play footy. In fact, Haidar’s mum Lauren says he watches old games and then goes outside to kick the footy and will start commentating on himself, using the language they use in the games he watches.
Haidar means Lion in Arabic, so when he was old enough to decide on his own footy team – the Brisbane Lions was an obvious option. Haidar was also referred to as a 'brave little lion' as he went through treatments for his hypoplastic left heart syndrome: a rare heart condition.
When it was time for his ultimate wish, it was an easy one for Haidar. He wished 'to meet his favourite footy team – The Brisbane Lions'.
He's told me before, if he could choose to be born with a normal heart or half a heart, he'd still choose this heart because it makes him feel special and not like everyone else.
Lauren, Haidar's mum
A roaring great wish
It was important for Haidar to see the Gabba for himself, after watching endless YouTube videos of the players there. He wanted to get to the Gabba, meet and train with his favourite players, watch the Lions play, and ideally run out on the ground with his brother.
When Haidar’s wish came true, thanks to Hyundai Help for Kids and the Brisbane Lions, it was even bigger and better than expected!
Haidar was an honorary Lion for an entire week, taking part in the main training session – amping his team mates up and giving roaring-good match advice. He also joined his favourite player and team captain Lachie Neale as a special guest in his press conference.
Haidar was treated just like a player, watching the pre-warm-up in the change rooms, taking part in the mascot experience, tossing the coin to kick off the big game, and of course leading the chant in the midst of the huddle after a big win!
Haidar’s mum Lauren said Haidar felt blessed after the experience. "He said it makes him feel blessed and appreciates being born with a heart condition and having gone through his surgeries to be able to have had this opportunity."
Lauren also said that the wish experience was unbelievable. "It honestly felt like we were in a dream. The Brisbane Lions really went above and beyond and made us feel a part of the Lions' family. Haidar didn't stop smiling the whole time he was there. He was truly in his element."
Round two
After Haidar’s extraordinary wish – he was officially a Make-A-Wish ambassador – and after becoming a part of the Brisbane Lions team, Haidar was invited back again!
The Lions returned to Melbourne to take on the Hawks (the rest of Haidar's family all support the Hawks), and the Lions invited a Make-A-Wish ambassador along to be a mascot.
The stars aligned and Haidar joined his favourite team once again to be the mascot for the game. This wasn't the only surprise, he was also presented with a frame from Hyundai Help for Kids that featured photos of his wish experience and the exact coin he used for the coin toss, something he can cherish forever.
