Culinary Dreams Come True With This Make-A-Wish Story
We’re back with another moving Make-A-Wish story for your Thursday morning! In honor of Random Acts of Kindness Day, we thought it was a perfect opportunity to introduce you to Winter and share her moving story about the impact of an unexpected act of kindness from a Disney cast member and how it sparked her wish.
One of the most memorable experiences you’ll have at Walt Disney World is an incredible meal at one of the Resort’s amazing properties! For Winter, one dinner in particular and the incredible chef that prepared her meal provided a life-changing experience!
Winter was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy which meant major dietary restrictions that could make eating out very challenging. Winter wasn’t able to enjoy meals with families but on a vacation to Disney World an in particular a dinner at ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort back in 2013, all of that changed. Chef Jeff at the beloved table service eatery went above and beyond to make a custom meal for Winter.
It is this act of kindness that inspired a lifelong love of cooking for Winter as it showed her that even with dietary restrictions meals could be tasty and fun!
“It’s the little things in life that you take for granted. Whether it’s opening a door, or saying hello, those moments can actually be the most memorable,” Winter said. “Chef Jeff coming over to our table, he didn’t think that that night, that meal service, he would be inspiring a girl to get online and see what substitutions she could use, how she could make things work for her.”
As you can see from the video above, a few years after this memorable moment, Winter got referred to Make-A-Wish and new exactly what she wanted this wish to be! “We found the photo of Chef Jeff. I told my mom that I wanted to go back and thank him for the opportunities he gave me in life,” Winter explained. “He showed me that my challenges weren’t that different, I just had to find a way to get around them.”
During the emotional reunion Winter and Chef Jeff met at ‘Ohana and made spring rolls together! “When I found out that Winter could’ve wished for anything in the world, and she chose to come back to cook with me, it was very humbling,” remembered Chef Jeff. “It’s something that’s never happened in my career of 27 years of being a chef. I was very excited and honored to make this wish come true.”
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for even more awesome Make-A-Wish stories!
Get a Jumpstart On Your Travel Plans And Get A FREE Disney Gift Card!
Have you heard the news!? Walt Disney World vacation packages are currently available through June 2022! Book your 2022 stay with ME through May of 2021 and I’ll throw in a Disney Gift Card!* Plus 1 lucky family will be picked each month to receive a special in-room delivery from Disney Floral & Gifts! Simply fill out my form below to get your FREE, no obligation quote!
With new policies and procedures in place for next year, there’s never been a better time to work with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner who can help you navigate through Disney World’s new way of doing things! Just fill out my form HERE to get your FREE, no-obligation quote. Alternatively, feel free to reach out at mroden@mickeytravels.com or follow along on Facebook!
*Gift card values very depending on package. Gift cards will be distributed after final payment on vacation package is made!