Aria, 5, loves Paw Patrol, Minions, and puppies; is the giver of the best hugs; and her smile can light up a room. Earlier this summer, she went to Disney and made the most out of her week in the Florida sunshine. “It was hot,” her mother said. “But she had a blast!” 

After her very first airplane ride, which Aria thought was coolest thing in the world, she touched down in Orlando and hit the ground running. She met Minions in Minion Land, went on a safari in Animal Kingdom, and rode almost all the rides at Magic Kingdom. However, the highlight for Aria was Give Kids the World Village. “She loved it! She thought she was going to get to live there,” her mother said, laughing. 

“She loved the pool. We would get back from the parks, grab some ice cream and a hot dog, and Aria would spend the rest of the evening in the pool,” said her mother. “We tried to do as many activities as we could,” she added. Aria loved trick-or-treating, riding the carousel, and meeting the characters who visited GKTW. She also spent some time at the spa and got a mini manicure and sparkly unicorn tattoo. “She had a blast!” said her mother. 

One of the most special moments, however, was when Aria’s family met another family at the Village who was at the same hospital, whose child was treated by the same doctors, in the same exact hospital room as Aria was, only a year apart. “Even their diseases were similar. It definitely was not coincidental,” her mother said. “We are still in touch.”  

“Aria loved getting to be around kids who are similar to her,” her mother told us. “I had an emotional moment when I saw all of these children who had been through such traumatic experiences. Some of those families won’t have happy endings – but at least they’ll have these memories because of these great organizations that give these families a little bit of hope.”  

She went on to say, “It was a bittersweet experience for us, understanding why we received this Dream and why any of these families receive a Dream. It’s a blessing to be able to have the opportunity but the underlying reason why we get to experience it is heartbreaking. However, seeing Aria get to be a child for the first time in her life was very refreshing and a memory that will last forever for us.” 

We are thankful for our partnership with #ChartwayPromiseFoundation for helping to fund this Dream for Aria and her parents. It’s memories like these that give families hope!