Make-A-Wish, Disney and Princess Belle Collaborate on Making a Wish Come True
We’ve got a feel good story for your Wednesday afternoon. Disney and Make-A-Wish have conjured up a bit of Disney magic for a very special princess named Maria!
At 6-years old, Maria is currently undergoing leukemia treatment. She has always wished to be a princess. A native Spanish speaker from Phoenix, Maria wasn’t able to visit Disney due to COVID-19 but that didn’t stop Disney from throwing a virtual royal visit- all in Spanish!
Check out the video below taking you through Maria’s magical day including a virtual meet and greet from Belle.
One of the most touching aspects of this momentous meet-up was that Belle and Maria were able to converse in Spanish. “María was fascinated and asked me, “mom did you see that Belle is like me? That we are the same, that she speaks Spanish like me?” said wish mom Brenda. “She loved the video and we thought it was truly beautiful. Their words, everything they said, it was exactly how María is.”
Maria grew up watching Disney films in Spanish. When it came time to grant Maria’s wish it was important to Disney and Make-A-Wish that Belle read a personalized story to Maria in Spanish!
Make-A-Wish CEO Richard Davis said, “Just as Disney stories are shared in dozens of languages around the world, Make-A-Wish grants wishes for children of all backgrounds.” He continued, “This wish is the perfect example of how we strive to creatively grant wishes that also resonate culturally and authentically with wish kids and their families.”
Since 1980, Disney and Make-A-Wish have been making wishes come true for children with critical illnesses around the world. We are so proud to celebrate this 40-year milestone with them, just as we were proud to help grant the very first official wish at Disneyland Resort back in 1980. And while 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone - wish granters included – it has also created opportunities to grant wishes in a whole new way. Disney and Make-A-Wish have had to think outside the box to continue to make life-changing wishes come true and provide hope and inspiration to children around the world.
Pre-pandemic, one out of every two wishes granted in the U.S. was a Disney wish, and together, Disney has worked with Make-A-Wish to make more than 140,000 wishes come true, including their recently granted 500,000th wish. Granting these inspiring Disney wishes creates magical memories for children and their families, and we will continue to do our part to make children’s wishes come true in a meaningful way. A global pandemic may be enough to put some aspects of life on hold, but monumental moments and wishes like these are far too important to be missed!
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