DISNEY CRUISE WISH
GRANTED TO MISD STUDENT
S
ix-year-old Bella Smith has been in
and out of the hospital a majority
of her life for a condition that affects
approximately one in 16,000 people.
The Martha Reid Leadership Academy
student has Dravet syndrome. It’s a
rare but serious lifelong form
of epilepsy that begins in the
first year of life with frequent
and/or prolonged seizures.
“I am excited to see the Disney
princesses. Anna and Elsa are
my favorites,” said Bella.
For Bella’s mom, the best part
was the smiles that were
plastered on her family’s face—an
expression that is hard to keep in
the midst of ongoing
medical difficulties.
Make-A-Wish has been creating
life-changing wish experiences for
children with critical illnesses
around the world since 1980.
According to the organization,
wishes have proven physical and
emotional benefits that can give
children with critical illnesses
a higher chance of survival.
As one can imagine, the diagnosis
and proceeding procedures have
taken a toll on the Smith family at
times. Thanks to the Make-A-Wish
Foundation of North Texas, some
much-needed relief arrived.
“Her wish to go on a Disney cruise
has been granted,” said Make-A-Wish
representative Dennis Baird. “It’s
just fun to come out and put a little
smile on their faces, get them excited
about their wish and bring some
hope, strength and joy into their
lives as they’ve dealt with some
very critical medical issues.”
The Smiths set sail in the beginning
of December for five days. Bella
found out about the surprise
during a schoolwide assembly.
“It was awesome to see her face
when she kind of figured out what
was going on,” said mother Tori Smith.
“She is super excited to see Santa
and just have some down time on
the boat, so it was very awesome.”
Bella was overwhelmed when she
realized that she was the star of
the campus assembly. She said she
couldn’t wait to see all the characters
that would be aboard the cruise.
18 MANSFIELDTODAY
Bella gleams with excitement after she hears she will meet a Disney princess.
“It’s hard every day to find joy
sometimes because there are so
many rough days, but we’re hoping
for five wonderful days at sea with
no seizures or anything like that. I
think it’s just going to bring her and
our family a lot of joy,” she said.
“
“I think it’s just going to bring
her and our family a lot of joy,”
TORI SMITH
MOTHER