|
Bell, who is now 2 and a half years old, was diagnosed with a malignant brain stem tumor at the age of nine months. The tumor, deemed treatable, but not curable by medical personnel, will be a lifelong affliction for the young Bell. To date she has gone through more than a year of chemotherapy and radiation treatments; however, her parents say she doesn’t mind going to the doctors’ offices and hospitals.
“It’s just something she has gotten used to doing,” said mother Wendy Bell.
Luckily, this past February, doctors found that the tumor is shrinking. Because of this, Bell was given a break from treatment until mid-May, during which time she and her family took the opportunity to have one of her dreams come true through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. That dream being to meet the three princesses of Disney World and Pooh Bear.
Bell and her family came into contact with the foundation through the children’s hospital this past December and on the week of March 22 through March 28, Bell got to make the trip down with her parents; grandmother; brother, Derek; and sister, Christina, to Kissemmee, Fla. to make her wish come true.
During the course of the week, the family stayed at Give the Kids the World Resort, a nonprofit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses, which offers beautiful accommodations, free pizza and ice cream almost around the clock and a six-foot tall rabbit named Clayton as the mayor.
The family visited many of the famed theme parks in the area, including the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM Studios), Animal Kingdom, Islands of Adventure, Universal Studios and Sea World.
“I rode rides and the carousel,” said Cora of her time at the theme parks.
However, the real magic for her came when she finally got to meet the princesses and Pooh Bear. Bell got to have a private meeting and the unique opportunity to have her picture taken with all three princesses at the same time.
Parents, Wendy and William Bell, felt the vacation was a wonderful experience for everyone involved. With the amount of time Cora has to be in therapy and check-ups, the family rarely gets to spend time together.
“We are always being pulled in different directions and this vacation gave us the chance to have some carefree time as a family,” said William.
Both parents also praised how special the foundation made them feel. All accommodations, travel expenses, theme park tickets and food were covered. In addition, Bell got to wear a button that signified that she was a Make-a-Wish child.
“With that button, we all got to be at the front of the line for the various rides and really got special treatment all around,” said Wendy. “We would recommend the foundation to anyone who is eligible to participate. It was really a wonderful experience.”
The foundation, which was started in 1980 after a young boy named Chris Greicius realized his heartfelt wish to become a police officer, has now become one of the world’s most well-known charities, having granted some 161,000 wishes to date. To learn more about the foundation, inquire to participate or volunteer, check out their website at www.wish.org.