When wishes do come true

SHE has always wanted to meet a princess and last September, Mairéad Sparkes’s dream came true.

Thanks to the Make-A-Wish-Foundation, the 12-year-old from Dublin was flown to Disneyland where she got to meet Princess Bella from Beauty and the Beast and shook hands with another firm favourite, Mickey Mouse.

Her mother, Margaret, who is a dentist, says although her daughter is almost a teenager, the fact that she has an intellectual disability means her ambitions are childlike ones, so getting to meet her Disney heroes was a dream come true.

“Mairéad has severe dyskinetic cerebral palsy and moderate intellectual disability and although she is 12, she’s really more like four,” she says. “She was 10-weeks premature and born after an emergency caesarean because I had placental abruption.”

At six months old she got the flu. “Her lungs were overwhelmed so her brain didn’t get enough oxygen. She was put into a coma for eight days so she could be ventilated. We thought she would die. Miraculously she pulled through but with severe brain damage. We had to re-teach her to eat — she also has epilepsy — but she’s a fighter.”

Margaret’s sister Maureen filled out an application form for the Make-A-Wish-Foundation as she knew it would be a dream come true for her niece and both Margaret and her husband Joe (they also have a 14-year-old daughter called Riona) were astounded when they heard Mairéad’s wish was to be granted.

“The foundation organised for her to go to Disney on her birthday [Sept 3] which was incredible,” says Margaret. “So when she woke up, I said ‘Happy birthday — we’re going to Disneyland on an airplane’ — she was amazed.

“We flew to Orlando and stayed for seven days with some other Make-A-Wish families. The airline staff made a special fuss of Mairéad, so although it was a long flight for her, she got on great. Then we stayed in a fabulous place called Give-Kids-the-World.

“They’re used to dealing with children with special needs and made sure we had everything Mairéad needed to be comfortable and safe. There was a special pool with wheelchair access, mini-golf, a train and horse-riding. Mairéad even met Santa and of course her favourite, Mickey Mouse. She asked him to race her — she loves racing people in her wheelchair — which he did and she absolutely loved it.”

The Dublin girl also got to see some of her heroes which she found overwhelming.

“Every minute of the trip was magical,” says Margaret. “It was an absolute dream come true and the trip of a lifetime. I couldn’t believe how Mairéad’s confidence grew. She spent most of her time in Magic Kingdom with Mickey Mouse and the princesses. We went to the Beauty and the Beast show twice and Mairéad knew all the songs — she could hardly contain herself.

“Sometimes she was so happy she couldn’t talk. It was like she was in shock — particularly meeting her hero, Gaston. He’s a baddie in Beauty and the Beast but he’s handsome and Mairéad loves him. She just stared with her mouth open.”

The Sparkes met other families who’ve gone through difficult times.

“They were inspirational and we felt so comfortable there because everyone understood what it’s like.”

The Make-A-Wish Foundation helps hundreds of sick children around the country fulfil their dreams each year and Margaret can’t thank them enough.

“Every time I think about the trip I well-up with tears,” she says. “Seeing Mairéad so happy and fitting in was so emotional after all we’d been through. Everyone was amazing and knew what she needed before she did herself. She cried a lot before we left but she has loads of pictures and videos to remind her and looks at them almost every day.

“We couldn’t have done it without Make-A-Wish and their partners in Give Kids The World. The logistics would be impossible so I think of these people as angels.

“I know there is a lot of controversy about charitable donations in Ireland at the moment but Make-A-Wish is fantastic and really makes magic happen for children. It restores your faith in how kind some people are and that in itself was really healing for all of our family.”

* For more information or to donate, visit www.makeawish.ie