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Justin’s Wish:
“I wish to be a race car
driver”
Justin, our 4-year old who wished to drive fast cars, was surprised
with a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati and BMW entourage arriving at his
Yio Chu Kang home. Our young F1-kart racer then headed to the Jurong
Racetrack for the time of his life. A group of cheerleaders
welcomed him at the trackside. He then got suited up for his most
amazing race. Justin was accompanied by his family and closest of
friends, they had a rare chance to race together on the tracks. After
the prize giving (complete with fizzy champagne), they enjoyed a
post-race party featuring Wii video-game Cars, in celebration of
Justin’s racing achievements.”
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Sarah’s Wish:
“I wish to be an adult so I can
be an architect and do things like making coffee, clubbing and staying
up late”
Undefeated by such an unusual wish request, the wish granters decided
Sarah would have to earn stars in order to be granted her
“Passport to Adulthood” with each star being
awarded after
successfully completing a task which showed that, despite her young
age, she’s capable of being an adult.
Sarah started her morning with tutorials on the art of applying make-up
and dressing appropriately for work. She then set off
for
"work" with architectureal firm HOK, where she built a model of the
Burj Al Arab, a well-known hotel in Dubai that her family had visited.
She also learnt how to present her name cards to "fellow adults".
To cap a perfect day, she rode in a red Ferrai to an exclusive party at
Harry's Bar at Boat Quay. Family and friends were invited and she
stayed up till midnight, a good three hours past her usual bedtime. The
final highlight of the day was when
Sarah’s doctor, Dr Keith Goh, presented her with a Bachelor
of
Arts certificate in Adulthood and her final star!
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Charmaine’s Wish:
“I wish to write and
publish a book ”
A lover of books and a talented writer, wish child Charmaine always
dreamt of being a published author one day. The shy 13-year-old suffers
from end-stage kidney failure and has had a congenital eye disease for
the past 11 years, and has unfortunately lost most of her eyesight.
Writing has been an outlet for her struggles throughout the years.
When the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Singapore met Charmaine,
they
quickly got in touch with Pick Me Up, a writers group founded in
Singapore that collates inspirational stories.
The self-help book Pick Me Up: 2nd Edition was dedicated to Charmaine.
Her story ‘Ceryni’s Secret’ debuted as
the first short story in the book, along with a touching foreword
written by her principal doctor, Professor Yap Hui Kim.
In addition, the team created a one-hour segment to celebrate her
achievement at the World Book Fair on May 31st, 2008.
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Charmaine’s
written word is a testament of her indomitable strength:
“Wishes are wished to be granted. Dreams are dreamt to be
fulfilled. Goals are set to be reached. Obstacles are there to be
overcome so as to arrive at the Gates of Success. Even when one has
reached the Gates, there are still challenges ahead - to have a humble
heart, to have the will to improve, to have the grace to accept help
from others in times of difficulty. Only until one has surpassed all
these, will it be called ‘True Success’. I may not
have achieved that now and others could understand it before me but
time does not matter, it is the outcome that counts.”
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Helmy’s Wish:
“My wish is to have a laptop
”
Ships and the sea are Helmy’s first loves. And so, his
wish-granters Soma and Juli surprised him with a treat at the SAF Yacht
Club. Helmy was so excited he ran around the deck on his sturdy pair of
sea legs totally unperturbed in the swaying boat. He never stopped
smiling and he was so steady onboard that the Captain was very
impressed and offered him a weekend job to help out on the yacht.
As the sun set, they feasted on a delicious nasi lemak meal
dinner before the games began. Instead of presenting Helmy with his
wish gift, we asked him to search for the hidden treasure chest! When
he finally found the hidden prize, he opened it to find a notebook
computer, pre-loaded with useful software and his favourite Man U
pictures.
It was truly a memorable day for Helmy & everyone onboard. We
quote
Captain Graeme, “I have never had a more delightful group on
the
yacht!”.
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Joseph’s Wish:
“My wish is to have a laptop
mainly to use for school and eventually for work, but a kid needs to
play games too right?”
The moment Joseph stepped into Four Seasons Hotel, he felt like
royalty, being greeted by men in dark suits, and 3 beautiful ladies
ushering him to the lift. It was a “SURPRISE” for
Joseph as he was totally overwhelmed by the cameras, his friends
and social worker, and there was a mini stove with a chef beside it!
There was also a round table sitting 6 and it was decorated
beautifully with sparkling cutlery and show plates. Cooking
for friends and parents was certainly an unforgettable
experience
for Joseph who commented. "I felt
like a true blue chef, especially when I was serving my
parents",
Joseph also received a laptop that he had wished for, mainly to use for
school
and eventually for work, to play games. Besides getting a 5-star
chef’s experience and the laptop, Joseph got to watch his
idol's Olivia Newton John ‘live’ at the Singapore
Indoor Stadium with his mum.
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Ezra’s Wish:
“My wish is to build a sandcastle
on
Sentosa because last time I went there I didn’t manage to
build
one and since I got sick, we haven’t been there
again”
Some of the wishes that children make are very humble and when we met
with 6 yr old Ezra and discovered his wish, we knew this was going to
be something extra special. His wish was to build a sandcastle at
Sentosa. In true Make-A-Wish style, not only did he get the chance to
build the BIGGEST sandcastle he had ever seen, but he also enjoyed a
special dolphin feeding session, followed by eating his favourite meal
(freshly cooked chicken rice) in his balloon filled cable car
during
the ride back to Singapore. His excitement was so infectious that the
team helping out with the wish had just as much fun as him. The only
problem now is that the next time he goes to make a sandcastle with his
family he will want to build an even bigger one!
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Ryan’s Wish:
“I wish for my very own
puppy!”
With the help of his parents and siblings, volunteer Wish Granters Jiat
and Debbie made the arrangements to fulfil 6 year old Ryan’s
wish
and get his dream playmate and pet. The lucky little 3 month old
miniature schnauzer was handpicked by Ryan himself and was waiting
patiently in the shop for half a week before he was reunited with Ryan.
All Ryan had to do now was follow a
paw-print
trail to find his very special wish! Ryan, aided by his 3 siblings
eagerly took up the challenge and followed his little puppy trail all
the way to the playground where he found his presents, an empty puppy
carrier and Debbie. But where was the puppy?!!? He excitedly followed
the rest of the paw-prints to find ‘Zen’ his new
buddy that
would keep him company for a long time to come.
Since his wish has been granted,
Ryan’s Mum
says the Ryan and the puppy are inseparable: - “Zen is the
first
thing that greets Ryan every morning and the puppy always waits
patiently for Ryan to come home from school. Zen is Ryan’s
best
friend!”
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Nur
Azila’s Wish
“My wish is to spend a weekend
with my family in a serviced-apartment”
Does a fairyland exist in Singapore? Do
fairy tales come true?
Just ask 9 year old Nur Azila and she will say yes! This little
girl’s heartfelt wish was to spend a weekend at the luxurious
Fraser Service Apartments with her family. So, her volunteer Wish
Granters set out to make this wish come true, in a truly memorable way.
Nur Azila was to be the princess of the ball at her weekend
‘palace’. Her Wish Granters decorated the apartment
in the
royal hues of pink and purple and festooned it with balloons, banners
(“Welcome Princess Azila”) and streamers. And since
no
party is complete without special treats, there was a royal spread, fit
for a prince, or a princess, in this case.
But it did not end there. No fairy tale princess party is without a
fairy Godmother so we used a little ‘wonder dust’
to turn
the volunteers into a fairy godmother and a couple of fairies. Her eyes
lit up as she was greeted by her winged friends and was given her own
sparkling tiara to wear.
After all the excitement she was radiantly happy, splashing about in
the swimming pool. This wish was a wonderful example of how imagination
can help a child’s dreams come true in an incredible way! |
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Choon How’s Wish
“I wish to have a Tempur
adjustable bed so that I can sleep better at night”
Painting, Play station and his pals
– these
are the little pleasures that help brave little Choon How cope with
Duchenne muscular dystrophy. However he wished for something a little
different. When Wish Granters Ben and Flo met Choon How, they
discovered that he wanted a special mechanical mattress which would
help him sit up in bed. Sleeping at night was difficult, given his
condition. Plus he wanted to lessen his reliance on his loving parents,
who had to help him every time he wanted to change positions or sit up
in bed.
As Ben and Flo started the groundwork of getting this special Wish
granted, Choon How eagerly ticked off the days to the ‘wish
delivery countdown’ on his calendar.
When the big day arrived, Choon How was taken out for the morning as
the Wish Team transformed his room. The officers from the Ang Mo Kio
Police Division rallied around to help by hanging brightly coloured
curtains. Flo put up X-Men posters (Choon How’s favourite)
and
prepared the party food. Ben and Eric, (who volunteered his time to
deliver the bed) then carried the prized Tempur Bed and Mattress into
his room, after checking it over to make sure it worked.
When Choon How returned to his house, he made a bee-line for his room
which was now covered in glossy X-Men posters and contained his new
high-tech bed. As he tested out the buttons, raising and lowering the
mattress many times, his face lit up with a glorious smile.
We wish him many comfortable nights and sweet dreams on his new bed!
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