When our friends at Make-A-Wish asked if Violet would like to make her good friend Juni a send off video for her upcoming wish trip to Disneyland, Violet excitedly responded, "Yes! I want to make a video for Juni! Can we do it right now?"
It was so so sweet.
We dressed Violet up in her favorite Cinderella dress and tiara that she received on her own wish trip to Disneyland a few months before. These were part of her special princess make-over on her 3rd birthday at the Bippity Boppity Boutique. Violet was giggly and twirling, ready to tell her friend all about the magic she was going to experience.
The result of Violet's pure joy when thinking of her time in Disneyland and the love she has for her friend is this very sweet video below. As thousands have now said, you may want to grab your tissues!
For mobile users click HERE.
When I was first able to view the finished video through Make-A-Wish, I cried. I imagined Juni and her family seeing it for the first time and my heart overflowed. It was so hard to keep it a surprise! We prayed that Juni and her family would have the best time of their lives. It was just so exciting to know the fun they were about to have!
Many of you reading this have followed Violet's journey with cancer from the beginning, when she was just 6 months old. You have seen through our experiences and I have expressed many times that childhood cancer is just an absolute nightmare for a family to go through. It's horrible, heart wrenching and cruel. It's something you will never fully understand unless you have gone through it yourself. We understand what Juni's family faced. And, we were so happy to know that they had such a huge blessing coming their way. A time where they could forget about all of the difficulties and just enjoy as a family ... Enjoy watching their little girl smile and laugh with her sister as her wish was coming true.
Since Violet's send off video was posted to YouTube by Make-A-Wish America just 72 hours ago, it has been viewed over 280,000 times and featured on BuzzFeed, ABC News, Good Morning America, Fox News, Yahoo, Huffington Post, Daily Mail, and more. Articles are popping up on countless blogs, radio station sites, and Disney fan pages. And, thousands upon thousands are sharing on Facebook and Twitter. We have barely been able to keep up!
It is hard to find the words to express how much this means to us. There are so many facets to how much of a blessing this is!
We have spent 3 and a half years fighting hard to spread awareness of Retinoblastoma, a childhood cancer. When we began our fight with Retinoblastoma we knew not a soul who had a clue about it. It angered me as a new mom that there were no warnings about this, no education on what to look for as a symptom, and most of all, no pediatricians checking new babies for signs of Retinoblastoma through an easy test. We have begged and pleaded for others to care and to support funding for new treatments and a cure because of the overwhelming lack. Now, through this beautiful video, hundreds of thousands of people can see the innocent and sweet faces of two little girls who have had to battle cancer. Now, masses are aware. They can be your children! Cancer doesn't discriminate. We pray that hearts are moved to join the fight. Awareness = Funding = Cures.
Another facet of this blessing is the attention brought to Make-A-Wish for the amazing work that they do! The happiness, joy and hope that they give to children and their families is like no other. We have so much love for them and they will always be a special part of Violet's life. Not only have they made Violet's wish come true, they have continued to give her the chance to help bless other children and to express her gratitude in front of a large audience. It is so important to nurture the love and generosity Violet has in her heart and we will always be thankful to Make-A-Wish for the opportunities.
And, this video is about LOVE! Wouldn't the world be a better place if we were all so enthusiastic and happy for our friends? We are here to love each other, encourage each other and support one another. Knowing that our Violet and Juni are touching so many hearts around the world is making this mama's heart beam with delight! I know that Juni's mom, Danielle, feels the same. This world needs more love. Share it, give it and receive it!
I am happy to share with you this quote from Danielle, Juni's mom, when asked what she would like to say about our video going viral:
"We are very humbled & moved by the positive response we have received from so many around the world. In a world that focuses so much on negativity, we feel extremely blessed to be able to share in this with our good friends The Spataro's. While cancer is a very horrible thing to live through, we count our blessings to have had something so beautiful grow during such a time of adversity."
I couldn't have said it better my friend.
We are so happy your wish came true Juni. We love you! :)
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers for Violet and Juni!
Stay tuned for Violet's "Give Love" campaign launching this Tuesday for your chance to help Make-A-Wish grant the wishes of the hundreds of children currently on their waiting list. We will be posting the details on Violet's Facebook page HERE.
God bless you! xo
Sweet <3
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