For a 7-year-old girl who loves princesses and had never been to Walt Disney World® Resort, choosing a wish was a simple matter. Novalie, who is diagnosed with cardiomyopathy, wished to experience the magic of Disney first hand by visiting the popular destination with her family.
Novalie had a fabulous time and raves about the water park at Give Kids the World, and the Gingerbread House restaurant there, where she ate every night. She also recalls that she never had to stand in line at the parks. Not even when she got to meet Ariel, her favorite princess. “Ariel is beautiful,” Novalie declares with conviction. Since Ariel was being escorted by Eric, Novalie got to meet him too! She sang and danced with all the princesses at their magical show at Cinderella’s castle. When asked about the famous fireworks, Novalie admits that she missed them because she needed to rest and conserve her strength for the next day. There was so much to see and do!
While Novalie loved the rides and attractions at Magic Kingdom®, she also really enjoyed Epcot®. She rode on the “really cool” Spaceship Earth attraction inside Epcot®’s iconic, shimmering geosphere and met Crush, the turtle from Finding Nemo. Novalie made other aquatic friends during a visit to at Sea World®. She was impressed to see little, baby dolphins in the park’s nursery. And she sat so close to the tank in the splash zone that she could almost touch Shamu in the One Ocean™ Shamu-show.
Novalie’s mom was amazed at all the kindness and friendly faces her daughter encountered throughout her wish experience. According to her, “the staff at Disney was remarkable.” Her greatest thanks goes to Make-A-Wish, “Thank you, Make-A-Wish, it was awesome every step of the way.”
Wish story writer: Ryan Reichel