Last Monday, April 29 was World Wish Day and it is celebrated worldwide as the day of the wish granted to Chris Greicius in 1980 that inspired the creation of Make-A-Wish and its mission. Since then, the Make-A-Wish community has grown to grant 30,000 wishes every year.
Barbados also celebrated World Wish Day with the Precious Touch Foundation holding a Fun Day and visiting the Pediatrics Ward in the Queen’s Elizabeth Hospital.
Founder and President of Precious Touch Foundation Adorial Maxwell-Hazel said the children and parents thoroughly enjoyed their weekend. “On Saturday, Mr Anderson Cherry hosted the children at his property located at the Belle, St Michael for a children’s fun day, with siblings and parents and the entire foundation and it was designed for the kids with jumping tents. [The children] even got an opportunity to ride in his trucks,” she said.
On Sunday, they visited the Pediatrics Ward and gave parents the much-needed relief in the supervision of their terminally ill children.
“We were there from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. working two-hour shifts. We went in to give the parents some time to relax, go home and do what they have to do if they want to and they can stay at the hospital and cool out if they want to,” Maxwell-Hazel said.
The Founder of Precious Touch Foundation told Barbados TODAY the foundation is a non-profit wish-granting organization which was launched on November 24, 2007. It grants wishes to children between the ages of two and 16 who are diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. The wishes are divided into four categories which are: I wish to go, I wish to be, I wish to meet or I wish to have.
On April 20 the foundation granted a wish to seven-year-old Raneiya Jemmott who wanted an Elsa Doll. Through the help of Wills Primary School, she was treated to a princess party where she was beautifully clad in her Princess Elsa outfit in her wheelchair as volunteer Karel Connolly pushed her around.
Maxwell-Hazel said as the world celebrated World Wish Day her wish is that more Barbadians know about the work Precious Touch is doing to assist terminally ill children in Barbados.
“What we want is for persons to know more about the foundation in terms of what we are doing and assist in any way they can. Any assistance is greatly appreciated [as it] makes the wishes come through for the child and brings laughter and a smile to the face of these very special children,” she said.
Maxwell-Hazel said despite the current economic climate the organization has not been impacted as their sponsors understand how important their services are to the terminally ill children they assist.
She noted they are currently preparing to grant five children their wish of travelling to Disney World in August. (LG)
