Disney and Make-A-Wish grant 150,000th wish together
Walt Disney World Resort and Make-A-Wish America have granted the 150,000th Disney-inspired wish.
The magical milestone wish was granted to 16-year-old Mikayla from Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., who began a battle with cancer three years ago.
“We are so thrilled that Mikayla is able to have this opportunity to celebrate the journey that she’s been on,” said Mikayla’s mom. “You never anticipate they [your children] are going to experience a life-threatening situation, but it’s been amazing to see how much good can come from something bad. We get to create these wonderful new memories together and not focus on the ones that maybe weren’t so pretty.”
During their magical day at Walt Disney World, Mikayla and her family served as Grand Marshals during the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom and revealed Disney’s newly-redesigned Make-A-Wish Florida license plate – “the most magical license plate on earth.” More than $1.5 million has already been raised through sales of Disney plates, and this new second-edition design will be available to Florida drivers soon.
To mark this historic wish, Mikayla and her family were also given the exclusive opportunity to spend the night in the Cinderella Castle Suite – a memorable experience very few people are given.
“This is an incredible milestone moment in our more than 40-year relationship with Disney,” said Make-A-Wish America President and CEO Leslie Motter. “We know that wishes have the transformative power to renew hope, uplift spirits and unite families. When you pair that with Disney stories, characters and experiences, lives are forever changed thanks to the unmatched joy that’s delivered when it’s needed most.”
But Disney had one last surprise for aspiring singer Mikayla (who has dreamed of performing at Disney): A royal performance later this summer to cap off the 150,000th wish in a magical way.
Last week, Disneyland Resort unveiled three new Main Street, U.S.A. windows dedicated to Make-A-Wish to commemorate World Wish Day on April 29, 2023.
