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Hello. I'm Richard Davis, CEO of Make-A-Wish America.
From the very first wish we granted at Disneyland
more than 40 years ago,
our global relationship with Disney has been a very important one.
And when I see that there will soon be
a beautiful new Disney cruise ship
sailing under the banner of Disney Wish,
I can't help but think of the countless children
given the power of a wish
to help them overcome so many challenges.
You know, more than 145,000 Disney-inspired wishes
have been granted through Make-A-Wish.
And as you're about to discover,
for these kids, who dreamed of sailing aboard a Disney cruise,
the magic of those wishes is very powerful.
My life was just entirely
in and out of hospitals, medical equipment,
being told "no," being isolated from everyone my age.
It was heartbreaking as a mom and we would be out in public,
and he'd pull the visor of his stroller down
over his face so people couldn't see him.
It was Sam's wish to escape to magic.
I'm on oxygen.
And because of that, I have several
bulky pieces of equipment, including oxygen tanks.
The cruise staff, Make-A-Wish staff who helped us knew all of this.
And they were like,
"We can deal with that. We're not afraid."
I went swimming, I went down the waterslide by myself.
I got to go cook with the chefs.
I got to go to the Kids Club, able to play with other kids,
which I had never done before.
He lit up from within, it was like the clouds parted
and the sunshine came out of him again.
My wish really opened my eyes.
The way everyone who was involved with my wish,
the Disney Cruise staff, the people who granted it,
it made me want to turn around and give back to others.
It's kind of like,
"How long will it be before Grace has pneumonia again?
Let's reset the clock, probably about two good months,
and then it will happen again.
And then it will happen again."
At one of the sessions, someone mentioned to Amy
that you guys really should be
filling out this paperwork for Make-A-Wish.
That's how it started down the path to the cruise,
it was, "Would you like to go on a big boat
and play with Minnie Mouse on the beach?"
When we are all together, she is the happiest.
- Absolutely. - For sure.
So that memory of the ship and that time that we spent on it
is everything because we were all together
and there was nothing but joy.
We were all able to just really be in the moment.
The experiences, some for the first time ever,
it all was fantastic.
We didn't feel like we had a medically complex child
- on a cruise. - No.
Sometimes at bedtime, I will say to Grace,
"Where shall we meet in our dreams?"
And she's like, "Let's meet at the Disney cruise ship!"
And I'm like, "Yes! Sounds fantastic!"
Let's go!
Zion was born with two chronic illnesses.
She wasn't able to be around other children,
she wasn't able to be around society due to her illness.
So I didn't really have social skills.
I never really knew how to go up to people
and actually make a friend.
My choice for Make-A-Wish was a cruise
because I really love Disney,
and I'd also never been on a cruise ship.
So, you know, it was very exciting.
On the trip, Zion grew up over, you know,
just those days that we were on the trip, it was great.
I turned to the Teen Club for meeting my friends
that I didn't know I was going to make on the trip.
It was really, really great. I loved it.
Without this wish,
Zion may not have been as sociable as she is today.
Today I'm able to express who I am, you know,
actually talk to people comfortably instead of being scared,
She got to have her happy ending, just like a Disney princess.
Stories like these give me so much hope for the future.
And I simply can't wait to someday
see the Disney Wish deliver even more magic for our wish kids.