Testimonials
Mahé dreamed of going to Legoland
My name is Mahé, I am 5 years old and I have a rare disease that required me to have a bone marrow transplant. Mom signed me up for Make A Wish to make my dream come true: to go to Legoland, because I really like Lego, but also to see the Ninjago world, which I also really like!
So THANK YOU Make A Wish for making this dream come true!!!
Come on, I'm taking you with me to take a tour of this mega super cool weekend that my family and I spent there in Germany. We left on Friday, December 15th at 9am… Here we are in the car for about 4 hours of driving. At noon we even had a “McDo”, to regain our strength for the last hour of driving. We saw 3 big Lego on a small hill which gave us a clue that we were almost there! And that was indeed the case: hop! We are still looking for the way to the hotel in the park… The reception found, we are already full of it! We are looking forward to the rest!!!
After checking in, we head to the castle hotel, where the knights and the throne await us! Wow!!! We are all amazed! And the room is so cool!
Now that we have dropped off our bags, we head to the park which is a five minute walk from the hotel. We enjoy doing only a small part of the park, without stressing, by carefully observing the pretty decorations. As a good part is closed because of the winter, there are few people, and we enjoy doing the attractions several times in a row because there is no queue.
With mom, we tried a bed in the Lego Friends area 😊 And we had a good laugh seeing the silliness of the Lego men: We went around the park on a Duplo train. We enjoyed the aisles with the hundreds of illuminated fir trees. And we also made the factory, a roller coaster, an attraction to the pharaohs, the elevator, the glass labyrinth...
At 19 p.m., we ate German specialties in a restaurant in the park. Then it's time, the park closes its doors, so we go to the hotel, to spend our first night. We're all looking forward to it! We're still pretty tired...
The next morning, we woke up all happy, and we went to eat our lunch at the hotel restaurant. What a treat, there was absolutely everything! Mmmmmmh! I really enjoyed the croissants! There was even Oli (the Legoland mascot) who came to say hello to us while we were eating. Then after lunch, we went to see the balloon show, where we even got to make our own balloon dog! So cool. Here we are, now that it's almost 11am, the opening time of the park, we're heading there on foot. We're impatiently waiting for the closed doors. Especially me!!! Today we're going to go to the Ninjago corner!!!!! The weather is so nice, it's going to be great!!!
“Testimony from Mahé, 2023”
Testimony of Théotime’s mother
» What journey ! It lasted 4 days and yet we felt like we were leaving in aand long adventure more unbelievables. CLike Alice in Wonderland, we found ourselves leave alone be guided, to go from discovery in wonder !!! Dyears our whole being vibrated with these resonances of pleasure and fascination, which allowed us to realize the reality of ces moments so far from our daily lives. This was the opportunity de forget everything et from U.S let pamper. And thanks to this, disease sly here came toembedded in our family for 6 years now, has been discarded during the duration of our expedition. NWe were just in the discovery, receiving the benevolentthis and the delicacy of each, and in the joy ofand live it enseemsIf and let yourself be pampered, is-isn't that the best thing in life?
CIt was also a bit of an opportunity for us toto hamper and counterbalance of remembrances terrible, since the tumor of Theotime aVait was discovered in December. While everyone was preparing Noahl and gathered at family celebrations, ihad suffered it operation on operation who had it left in a terrible state. Noel had been summed up in a few moments around his intensive care bed, à a few stolen moments où we were wondering if'he would see others with us. We were caught in un tsunami, came to break too much early les Christmas dazzle for my children. THEe ground s'was opened under our feet, and the Christmas period remained a traumatic time for us. What a joy to discover that this period could be again an occasion d'wonder'ement et de more smoothly. to live, of shared warmth and festivities duringtlesthoses we left each other go to the delicacies on a background of Music coursess joyful. Everything contributed to the Christmas spirit,esbusy streets of viennas little fir trees waiting to the sound of concerts from surrounding churchesto go to adorn oneself and EMBAdied neighboring apartments, to the decorations delicate of the train and to the beautiful living roomsu Crillon, of street ornaments to thea crowd frantic of passers-by happy de to do their shopping, everything contributed to the festive preparations.when everything seemed to us gathered for share a moment incredible as a family, focused around the joy of Théotime, it was a balm extraordinary on our painful memories.
TYou reprise the theme of the these people came welcome us, touch us a little word, discreetly shows itselfer presents et attentives so that our journey is unmemorable, how much these small gestures have been able to compensate also our great moments of solitude face the anguishsse disease and death ! We started par the flight Geneva-Vienna, in which a charming hostess came worry about whether everything was okay and to réenjoyedr with us du travel to the Orient Express that Theotime allhas to be able to achieve. A Vienna Airport, another very efficient hostess, dynamic and smiling has come gather from exiting the planeIf darting between suitcases and piercing the crowd, cered fairy head appeared dance in theairport, taking us into un wake graceful and only asking for informer in passing lost travelers. Posing gracefully for a few photos, elle Gave back à Théotime, a stuffed animal that has become the mascot of the trip, and recovering our suitcases in one go tomorrow, elle finally entrusted French driver's hands just as charmant who has us brought at the foot of the hotel Rosewood, in the heart of Vienna's old town. Teverything was charming, carriages siLlonanIEAnt the streets and contributedhave à give us the impression that we had transplaborn in the time of Sissi…. fir trees for sale jonchhave the streets between two Rococo fountains, the crowd wandered in this atmosphere of theAbeautiful front, the churches resounded with No. 1 concerts.ël. A every street corner, or almost, we discovered a nnew Christmas market. The even started to snow delicately during the after-Midi, the setting was perfect, magical.
Din the hotel room, What a surprise! de discover a charming letter for Theotime and balloons " Mtake a wish » ! Théotime had tears in his eyes.. I share with you here shis words : " JI really enjoyed this stay with my family. Arrived in Vienna, I was welcomed as I would always like to be, On littlet with difficulty do better ! Nothree nights at the hotel Rosewood was exceptionalle, The staff was attentive to everything, always smiling and very nice. LThe breakfast was delicious and the night in our room was super nice. »
The next morning we had breakfast (extextraordinary carefully sure !) under the roofs with a spectacular view of the buildings of the old town. The fog left appear roofs frosted, statues decorating them pierced cand cotton in a magnificent harmony, and U.S seterms of rare privileged ones to be able observe them so near. Everything had contributed to putting us in a state of mind even more ready to goûnail it of the journey, to the meeting with the famous train, and our desire was still rising. In the building neighbor of theschool Spanish riding, are gone admire theThe Lippizans inst. And finally, we voilà at Vienna train station, on the frozen platforms, where music and a groom in a suit Royal blue attract our attention. This is goldchto be ofu train that plays, heats the atmosphere and welcomes us by marking the beginning of this extraordinary adventure that Théotime has dreamed of for so long, and by extension we in the expectation of sharing his great moments of joy to him. A large parte train staff forms a guard of honor to welcome the passengers. Theyhave in their blue suits emblematic of the Orient Express, or cooking, musician,…all friendly and smiling. Our Stewart Nathalia told us accompanied to our room with discretion and charming thoughtfulness. The cabins are of bijoux of wood and tapestries which seem to have come out of a film, and the comfort is up to the pleasure of the eyes. The train started moving quite quickly quicklynt, and we went lunch in one of the dining rooms of the train. We discovered discreetly our traveling neighbors, who seemed as happy and curious as we were. In addition to the extraordinarily worked walls and furnitures in Lalique or en wood according to the rooms to eat, Christmas tree decorations and red flowers hanging from the windows came complete a aestheticism gorgeous. The passing landscapes had joined in the fun since everything was covered of immaculate snow. Little apTea was waiting for us served in our two cabins together, then we went to play French maps in the bar car. The boys, mostly Italian, were very caring for each, and seemed to glide across the carpet with ease innate.
We then went to change in our cabins for the big night. Tuxedo and dress long, feathers and pearlss at rendez-you ! So pare of ours finest attire, we avons played at protagonistes of films including trains seemed to come out, and we didn't could not stop us from taking a few pictures between the wagons or the mist escaped from our lips as it y It was cold. This added to the magic of the moment. We areare installed in the bar car, où a pianote played tunes happyx and feastfs. The diner who followed was delicious, the services and ornaments perfect. Wishing perpetuate this magical evening, we have it pextended in the bar, où certains sang, discussed, exchanged. Fortunately, there was no crime to solve, but the subjects were not lacking. A waiter offered meven de follow some moments of the cup final of the football world, which took place several centuries ago there or almost. We did not know then that we would meet the next day withHotel one of the two teams who was arguing so the match to Qatar. In our cabin the beds were made and held out their arms to us. roll was going to rock our dreams so qwhat the train pierced la freshur diaphanous of the night. I leave the pen to Théotime again :
« Our nuit in The Orient Express was mon dream achieved, if not even better than what I had imagined ! I did not dream of such comfort, and I who like to eat well, I have so much appreciated enjoy all these
delicious dishes, tea with petits fours, breakfast in the cabin withs pastries exceptional. I was impressed by the richness of the decor and the kindness of the staff. I slept very well, lulled by the rolling of the train. I would have liked to travel to the time of Agatha Christi, and take this train often like her did it… In Paris we have summer welcomed like princes again, in the hôsuch on the square of the agree. In my room waiting for meenand lots of surprises and gifts as if it was I who had chosen them. Three books, two by Agatha Christie (they were 10 and Christmas pudding) and one on his life. An Orient Express drawing on my shower, welcome notes, cakes, Make a Wish balloons again, a vintage chocolate car, a framed picture of me, I never Felt so much particular and spoiled ! Another surprise awaited us, the chef's tour of the kitchens, and they offered me a magnificent apron embroidered with my name. The views of'Hotel were sublime, and I who do not particularly like the foot, I felt very privileged to be able to meet some of the players from the team France which were returning from the cup In ActionThe Place de la Concorde was filled with their fans, and I was the only one there.ôsuch as to be able to approach them… ! »
Theotime was crying again whenand the head chef handed him the apron in front the whole team of management… After a great night in our soft beds, a delicious breakfast in the garden winter, under the branches brillantes of a thousand decorations of one of the many fir trees of theHotelwe are gone admire the windows of Christmas Department Stores, then after a Thai lunch succulent, we went to the Gare de Lyon. The first TGV left unfortunately syears us, the Parisian traffic jams in the rain having contributed to our delay. Peut-be that we We didn't want this dream to end either... The association managed to find us 4 other tickets in record time, on a train nonetheless. strings-full in this Christmas Eve period, thank you a thousand times again ! On the train, Théotime was already reading one of Agatha Christie's books offered to the Crillon : « there were ten of them ». In 4 days, we hardly ever heard him complain about his mto the head. We still had to come down gently from this magnificent dream, from this journey that had overtaken all our expectations and our snails the craziest, in which we only had to let ourselves be carried by people who were only kindance and smile, and who as Théotime said, seemed to know better than us how to please ourselves. It would forever be remembered as one of the best times we had together as a family, and the pleasure was unending to see Tea like thisotime to have great happiness in proportion to one's merits, which gives him testifiedhow many people were touched and involved with him to bring sympathy, of the support and testify to him empathy. A huge thank you to all !!! »
“Testimony of Théotime’s mother, 2022”
Mikael's testimony
(received in October via our Instagram account)
"My brother was diagnosed with leukemia in January 2004, at the age of 11. Thanks to your wonderful foundation, he was able to realize his dream of meeting his favorite football player, Ronaldinho. We spent 3 days in Barcelona and were able to see my little brother smile again, be happy during this difficult time. This gave him a lot of strength for the rest of his fight against the disease and today, almost 30 years old, he is doing wonderfully and your foundation has also been part of his recovery. This little message to thank you once again from the bottom of my heart, you are absolutely brilliant. When we remember my brother's illness, we have the terrible trials he went through. But, the meeting with Ronaldinho and, above all, the amazed face of my brother that day will remain an exceptional memory and your foundation helps enormously with that too, to remember a dream come true instead of a terrible ordeal. »
“Testimony of Mikael, brother of a Make-A-Wish Switzerland child”
Testimony of Eleanore's mother
«Dear Natalie,Dear Make a Wish Team, It is with all our hearts that we thank you for the wonderful stay that we were able to have as a family at the zoo of La Flèche, thanks to you. Eleanor was enchanted and transported into a wonderful world of animals that she was able to observe at her leisure up close.»
“Testimony from Eleanor’s mother, 2022”
Nolan dreamed of meeting Soprano
"We had a wonderful time this morning, Nolan is still on cloud nine. This wish coming true is the culmination of 3 years of waiting, I didn't believe it anymore! I didn't think this wish would ever come true!
For Nolan, it is a page of his illness that is turning. He is closing a chapter of his life, even if the illness will always be present. As a father, it was important for me to accompany my son in this adventure and to make this wish come true.
We experienced a lot of emotions during this meeting. Make-A-Wish Switzerland is a great organization, thank you for persevering! We are very touched that someone like Soprano took the time to meet Nolan.
“Testimony from Nolan’s dad, in June 2022”
Mattia wanted to attend a car race in Imola
" Good evening,
With this email, I wanted to thank your foundation for the wonderful experience I had with my cousin and uncle. After a bad year, it was really good to close this chapter of my life by spending this weekend in Imola.
I realize that this experience does not happen to everyone, so I wanted to thank you for this memory that will always remain in my mind.
Thank you for everything."
“Mattia’s testimony in May 2022”
Maëlice dreamed of discovering Lugano with her family
« This trip to Ticino allowed us to strengthen the bonds between the different members of our family and to make a new start. With Maëlice's illness, long hospitalization and the severity of her treatments, we no longer had the opportunity to tell each other how much each of us meant to each other. It had been a long time since we had these endless family discussions with their share of clarifications, bursts of laughter and declarations of love. »
“Testimony from Maëlice’s Dad in May 2022”
Harry wished to fly like a bird
“Dear Make a Wish Team,
Words are not enough to thank you for everything you have done for Harry and me his mother. His dream was to fly with the birds, he made it come true. I have often thought about what I could do to make it come true, but I have never thought about a paragliding jump, especially since I am afraid of heights.
At school he made a cardboard castle, he learned the vocabulary that goes with it and pronounces words that I didn't even know. He was filled with joy when he saw the hotel where you had booked us a room. And his face when he saw his room!
As I was able to say by phone on Monday after the flight, I have never seen my son as peaceful and calm as in the air. Maybe he needed this and his wish was not so trivial. Every time I watch the images and videos I tell myself it is a miracle. He is happy, calm, illuminated up there. It makes me question myself and pushes me to find a way, a situation where Harry can be soothed as often as possible.
It hasn't been long since that wonderful weekend, but as soon as we got home, Harry has been doing things he was afraid to do before, because he couldn't do them and didn't want to try anymore. Has this given him more confidence? On Monday he went to occupational therapy and for the first time he expressed the difficulties he was having in doing a task. This has allowed us to find a solution to better confront and deal with it. Before, he would revolutionize this by screaming.
You do more than grant wishes. I didn't realize it until I was "victimized" by it. I saw the change in my son, but it also triggered something in me. For once in at least four years, I felt recognized, at ease with myself. It's also because I saw another side of Harry.
A big thank you for your active listening, your availability, your organization and especially for the attention you pay to the little big details that do so much good to the heart.
Beautiful thoughts to all the children, their parents and you.
“Testimony from Harry’s mother March 2022”
Laetitia dreams of dog sledding
"The best moment was getting to know the dogs, I had fun sledding. There were a lot of dogs. My favorite dogs were Porto and Aramis, but there were many others (but I don't remember their names). I really enjoyed opening the dogs' cage and watching them run on the snow."
“Testimony of Laetitia in January 2022”
Elisa dreams of taking care of animals
"We would like to thank the Make-A-Wish Foundation so much for organizing Elisa's wish. A zookeeper accompanied us for a day to show us behind the scenes at Servion Zoo and allowed Elisa and her brother to enter the cages of the monkeys, goats, snow foxes and macaws to have an unforgettable face-to-face with these animals, as well as feed them and clean their enclosures. Elisa was also able to walk the ponies throughout the zoo and, thus, discover all its occupants, while learning anecdotes about them and asking questions to the zookeeper. This whole day was filled with special moments, which we are not ready to forget. Thank you again a thousand times for this magnificent day. Elisa returned home with stars in her eyes, as well as a peacock feather and a porcupine quill, which will remain unforgettable memories."
“Testimony of Elisa’s family in September 2021”
Nine – holidays in Ticino
Arnaud – 19 years old – a film shoot