Manny's Fairy Adventure Wish
Wings, wands, and wonder! Six-year-old Manny followed the butterflies to a land of fairies, giggles, and glitter
Fairies inspire wish
Inspired by all of the fairy-themed activities and events that took place in the hospital where she received treatments for her Wilms tumour, six-year-old Savannah (Manny) wished 'to visit Magical Lane for a big fairy adventure'.
According to Manny's family, fairies are what helped Manny get through her treatments. Even the staff at the hospital would get involved and make a big deal of all Manny's fairy-related things.
In anticipation of her wish day, Manny was sent letters and videos from Fairy Jenny on how to complete her fairy dust training before she came to visit Magical Lane in Cairns for her wish.
A beautiful wish come true
Having received so many letters from Fairy Jenny, we can only imagine Manny's delight when the two met in real life.
“She was overwhelmed, she was star-struck! She was almost nervous, like ‘oh my gosh’,” said Marie, Manny's mum. “Manny got her beautiful head piece from Fairy Jenny. Then we all went inside and got our fairy wings and had fairy tea."
For the next part of the wish, Manny and her siblings, Wyatt and Audrey, were invited to use some special clues to locate the hidden keys and conduct the next task.
Marie, Manny’s mum, said the entire experience was beautiful, and even better than expected. “The actual fairy experience for the kids was so beautiful – they were totally gob-smacked!”
Make-A-Wish went to such an amazing effort!
Marie, Manny's mum
A way to celebrate Manny's resilience
Marie said the wish was the perfect way to celebrate Manny’s resilience and health journey. “This is for every time she was woken up in the middle of the night for x-rays and port accesses, every time she couldn’t walk to the toilet properly, and every time she endured an operation or had chemotherapy. This is to say, ‘you did such an amazing job Manny – you deserve this time of complete happiness!'”
Marie also said that the wish gave her family a light at the end of the tunnel. "[the wish] was an emotional time for me – kids are more resilient, but my mum and I were so nostalgic about the whole thing. We were like 'look what she’s came through!'”
A wish that will float on forever
With a fairy heart, and plentiful fairy dust, Marie said that coming home from the wish is like a new chapter, and time to get back into the swing of routine.
"Manny is doing so well at school – you wouldn’t even think she’s had so much time off. Her reading, writing, academic, even socially – she’s a little social butterfly. She’s doing amazing. She’s so resilient!" Marie said.
In fact, Manny is still talking about her wish and showing her school friends all the trinkets and fairy dust she brought home.
If you want to make children smile, and create amazing memories – then donate, because you’re literally changing people's lives. It also changes a child’s perception of their illness – you are giving them something to look forward to. It brings a smile to everybody’s face, the children and their families!
Marie, Manny's mum
