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Mollie Smith knows what happens when wishing upon a star |
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Front Page -
Front Page Story
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Written by Mike Ishman
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Wednesday, 16 December 2009 |
While at Disney, Mollie Smith, who was five at the time of her Make-A-Wish trip, met one of the Disney princesses, Belle, from “Beauty and the Beast.” (Photo submitted)
REYNOLDSVILLE — Talking to six-year- old Mollie Smith of Reynoldsville is like conversing with any young child. She enjoys talking about candy, horses, princesses and other joys in life.
When Mollie speaks about a trip to Florida that she, her mother and aunt took last January, there is no indication of the circumstances surrounding the trip.
Mollie was born with a double inlet left ventricle, a congenital heart defect in which babies born with the condition have only one working lower chamber in the heart.
In addition, Mollie also has Von Willebrand Disease (vWD), in which platelets, or small blood cells, typically go to the site of bleeding and clump together to stop the bleeding.
With vWD, the blood lacks a protein, causing it to not clot as easily.
Along with other problems, including asthma and allergies, Mollie has had illnesses for most of her life.
According to her mother, Barb, the family first looked into making a wish with the Make-A-Wish Foundation when Mollie was two.
“We put it on hold for a while because we knew we had another surgery coming,” she said, adding that she believes that the delay was for the best.
“I’m glad we waited until she was five to go instead of when she was younger,” Barb said. “She can remember it more now.”
Last January, when Mollie was five, she, Barb and Barb’s sister, Sherrie Davis, traveled to Florida for six days and seven nights, during which the three had the time of their lives.
According to Mollie, the trip was not an accident.
“One night, I saw a wishing star, and I wished real hard to go to Disney, and the wish came true,” she said.
Through Make-A-Wish, the family was able to stay at Give Kids the World, which, according to Mollie, was “awesome.”
Give Kids the World is a 70-acre resort in Central Florida that Barb compared to “walking into a storybook,” drumming up comparisons to the Tea Party scene in “Alice in Wonderland.”
The family went to the Gingerbread House every night to eat, and every morning, Mollie and Sherri ate waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. All of the accommodations were paid for by Make-A-Wish and Give Kids the World.
Right outside of where they were staying was a horse stable.
“I got to ride (the horses) the first day there,” Mollie said. She was also able to pet baby donkeys at the stable.
The days spent in Florida were like “a dream come true” for Mollie, Barb said. Mollie and Sherri rode many rides at Disney World, including most of the roller coasters along with rides based on “The Cat in the Hat” and “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish.”
It was at Disney that Mollie went to a candy store where she was able to enjoy her favorite candy, M&Ms.
“The store was so full of candy. I ate it all! Just kidding,” Mollie said. She also had a chance to meet one of the Disney princesses, Belle.
The family also visited Universal Studios and Sea World, where they pet and fed dolphins, which felt like “inner tubes,” and sting rays. It was at Universal Studios that the family experienced one of Mollie’s favorite memories.
“They had a big tub that was all the way up to the sky that had a lot of water in it,” she said. “It fell down on us, and we were soaked.”
Some of the other highlights from the Florida trip include a trip to Melbourne Beach; a visit to Candy Land at Matthew’s Boundless Playground; a Christmas celebration with Santa Claus; and watching a live Barney show.
When they would return to their accommodations, Mollie would find various gifts waiting on their tables, including pictures, movies, photo albums, coloring books, Beanie Babies and much more. One evening at Give Kids the World, the children were invited to take part in a Princesses and Pirates party, where the girls were made up as princesses, complete with a royal court and ball.
For all the fun Mollie had, the trip was just as nice for Barb.
“It was so nice not having to worry about what doctor’s appointments we have today,” she said. “Just letting her be a kid and seeing her face light up over everything we did. It was nice to get away and not have to deal with anything. We really enjoyed ourselves. We’ve been through a lot in the last six years. “
According to Barb, Mollie said that if she was able to have another wish, she would go to Iraq to visit her cousin.
“I said that was pretty unique,” Barb said. “We were in Sheetz at Falls Creek last week, and she shook a soldier’s hand and said thank you. I’m so proud of her.”
When she isn’t attending kindergarten at Brockway Elementary, Mollie enjoys playing outside and sled riding.
Barb said the whole experience has been wonderful for her and Mollie.
“We all had a ball. It was so much fun,” she said. “We’ve met so many wonderful people with Make-A-Wish. They are wonderful at the office. The coordinator is fabulous. She is like a new family friend. We just love her.”
To all of the people that have donated to Make-A-Wish, Barb said thank you.
“We just want to thank everyone that donates to Make-A-Wish which makes the trips possible,” she said. “Without that, we wouldn’t have been able to go.”
Barb said that she hopes she and Mollie can go back to Florida when she is older.
“Someday, we’ll go back and volunteer,” Barb said.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 17 December 2009 )
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