Make-A-Wish® relies on the support of amazing people, like you, who want to make a difference to really sick kids by granting their cherished wish. Children like Matilda, 4, who was just 18 months old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
Matilda with her favourite toy pig
This beautiful little girl has struggled through years of chemotherapy with the support of her tight-knit family. She especially loves playing with her big sister Leisa, aged eight.
Together, the girls dress up and pretend they are going on a holiday. They pack their suitcases, load their dolls into their ‘travelling van’ and then run around the house making sure not to miss the ‘sites’. It’s a world of fun and imagination – a break
from the harsh reality of her illness.
Matilda and Leisa
Matilda loves drawing pictures of the campervan which she wishes to travel in with her family, and with your help this wish could come true!
Let’s make Matilda’s dream campervan holiday become a reality!
A campervan holiday will bring Matilda and her family joy.
Matilda’s drawing
Matilda is a shy but excitable little girl. She has already spent more time in hospital at four years old than most people do in their whole lives. When Matilda was barely a toddler, she was taken to the GP because her mother found red spots under her eyes.
The GP ordered a blood test and less than an hour later mum and Matilda were told to return to the hospital immediately. Mum, Kirsten, was so scared for her little girl that she couldn’t drive to the hospital, so instead had an ambulance pick them up. The
doctors ran several tests and after a long wait the doctors told Kirsten that her daughter has acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
For the next 11 months the family had to uproot their lives and move from Cairns to Brisbane so they could save their daughter’s life. Kirsten quit her job. Leisa, who was just 6 at the time, had to leave her friends and move to a new school.
And Matilda’s dad Brendan, who had lost his brother to cancer, was now faced with the terrifying thought he may lose his precious baby girl.
For the next year, Matilda endured treatment which made her nauseous and angry. She was forced to live with a feeding tube because she didn’t want to eat, and lost all her hair as a result of chemotherapy. Matilda became developmentally delayed because of
all the time spent isolated in hospital.
Kristen and Matilda
Mum Kirsten says “one of the hardest things is knowing that my girls missed out on a normal childhood”. But Matilda’s wish will bring this little girl and her family incredible joy - helping to make up for the tough times they have been through.
Every donation to Matilda’s wish will give her strength and hope – igniting her imagination and bringing her closer to her dream campervan adventure.
Make-A-Wish Australia has made over 8,000 unique wishes come true for seriously ill children across Australia since 1985.
As we receive no government funding, this has all been possible thanks to generous support from individuals like you.
In recognising our 30 years of granting cherished wishes in Australia, we want to bring the healing power of a wish to as many seriously-ill children as possible. With your help, we can ensure that we can continue to give hope, strength and joy to children
just like those featured here. Your support will make a powerful and important difference in a sick child’s life.
As these children battle their life-threatening illness, they build resilience through the hope, strength and joy their incredible wish inspires, which if not for you, cannot be made possible.
To help more seriously ill children be granted their most cherished wish come true, visit:
http://startsomegood.com/Profile/makeawish2015
