Sixteen-year-old Surrey resident Lindsey Lourenco had her fondest wish come true when she arrived at the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas April 29 – World Wish Day – courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of B.C. and Yukon.
Lourenco wished for the unique getaway when a family vacation in Portugal was disrupted by her diagnosis of leukemia three years ago.
After being flown to BC Children’s Hospital via air ambulance directly from Portugal, Lourenco endured 2.5 years of chemotherapy, radiation and even a bone marrow transplant before having a setback when the cancer returned. The all-expenses-paid, once-in-a-lifetime, week-long vacation allowed her to be free from hospital visits and treatments while reveling in the excitement of the water slides with her twin sister Sadie.
World Wish Day is celebrated annually on April 29 to mark the anniversary of the first wish ever granted and celebrate wish granting around the world.
Make-A-Wish is the largest wish granting organization in the world, now in 36 countries on five continents. Since that first wish, more than 240,000 wishes have been granted worldwide.
Since 1983, the Make-A-Wish Foundation of B.C. and Yukon has made more than 1,400 wishes come true for kids battling a life-threatening medical condition.
For more information, visit www.makeawishbc.ca