Disney and Make-A-Wish celebrate ‘The Wish Effect’
Jiminy Cricket sings, “when you wish upon a star, your dreams come true,” but a new Disney Parks Blog video series called “The Wish Effect” shows that some Make-a-Wish kids are making others’ wishes come true too.
Disney and Make-A-Wish have granted more than 140,000 wishes since 1980. For most wish kids, the wish represented an important magical moment, but this series looks at how those wishes have continued to influence their lives.
One of the wish kids in the series is Tali, a 7th grader from New Mexico whose wish was granted last year. Tali not only loves Disney, but she also loves exploring nature with her mom, dad, and little sister, Roz. So, when Make-A-Wish asked Tali what her wish would be, she chose something her whole family could enjoy: a Disney-themed RV camper.
“Tali loves nature, so a camper was not surprising,” said Tali’s mom Juliana. “She’s very thoughtful, she loves her family, and we were very honored to be a part of her wish so we could all enjoy this together. It’s something we can cherish for many, many years to come.”
The camper, decked out from top to bottom in Disney décor—complete with a bunk bed inspired by Tali’s favorite film “Lilo and Stitch”—has allowed the family to spend quality time together on several unforgettable adventures, including to White Sands National Park and Jemez Springs. Tali’s family has also used the RV to travel safely during the pandemic.
“The RV is especially nice this year because we travel out of state for treatment periodically,” said Tali’s dad Gabe. “Especially in this COVID-19 environment, we have a home-away-from-home we can take with us.”
When the family isn’t on the road in their Disney-themed camper, they’re helping other families who are dealing with cancer. They even designed shirts to support their efforts to raise awareness for childhood cancer with the money raised from t-shirt sales funding care packages for newly-diagnosed kids in the hospital. Tali and her family also successfully petitioned for the first-ever childhood cancer awareness license plate in their home state of New Mexico.
Nearly a year after Tali’s wish took place in December 2019, her family still feels the “wish effect.”
“A wish brings lots of hope to families like ours when you can’t plan for the future,” Juliana said. “You don’t know what might happen, so it gives us hope and gives us a bright light in a time where things are uncertain.”
When asked to describe her wish experience, Tali summed it up in one word: “Magical.”
Check out the video below to meet Tali, and follow Disney Parks Blog for more stories in “The Wish Effect” series.
