Wishing Well Wishing Well - Summer Edition | Page 3

The moment Erika's
cherished wish
came true!

HARRISON’S VOICE MAKES A WISH COME TRUE!
Erika has endured no less than a dozen rounds of chemotherapy since being diagnosed
with Ewing’s sarcoma – soft tissue cancer – in 2012.
This treatment not only challenged the 13-year-old physically but also left her feeling low. Her mum, Idalia, said
her ability to cope improved significantly when The Voice Australia 2013 season aired. She had found an escape,
something to help pass the hours and as soon as she heard Harrison Craig sing, she had a favourite!
When Erika made her wish – to meet Harrison – she had no idea he was a friend of Make-A-Wish. In no time a very
special opportunity had been planned and Harrison was incredibly excited to be able to grant Erika’s wish!
This was all kept a surprise from Erika and on the day her wish was to come true she thought she was going to meet
some other kids and be interviewed for a story on Make-A-Wish at a Melbourne hotel.
Erika remembers wondering where the other kids were when she arrived – she couldn’t see anyone. She was
then taken upstairs, where she was greeted with a huge ‘SURPRISE!’ and surrounded by family and Make-A-Wish
volunteers. At this moment she was shocked and thought, ‘why have they yelled ‘surprise’?’ And then Harrison Craig
came out of the crowd singing Erika’s favourite song!
Erika’s Make-A-Wish experience is something she says she will never forget – the impact is best captured in her
own words:

“I talk about my wish every day since it happened. I still think it was a dream! It puts
a smile on my face every time I remember the moment when I met my idol, Harrison.
“Make-A-Wish changes kids’ lives by making our wishes come true. My wish was the greatest
moment of my life, and just for my parents to see a smile on my face after what I’ve been through
made them really happy. To have my wish granted helped me forget everything that I had been
through. It made me feel very special.”
Thank you for making amazing wishes like Erika’s a real dream come true! ■