Wishes Do Come True

By: Amanda Di

    “Are you sure this is what you want Elizabeth?”
    “Mommy, I know this is what I want.”
    “Baby you can go to Disney World you know? There are so many things that you can choose from.”
    “Mommy this is what I want,” six year old Elizabeth said.
    “Okay, if you are sure,” her loving mother said.
    “It is!” she said with glee and did the best she could to clap her frail petite hands.
    “Okay, I’ll make the call and get things started,” she said.
    Elizabeth smiled and took off to her room. She was so excited that she was going to get to do this. She knew that she could basically have anything that she wanted, but this was it. She wanted to go to the Nsync concert and meet the guys. She had watched them on TV and sang to her hearts content every time one of their songs came on the radio. Nsync made her smile like nothing else on this side of the earth.

    Elizabeth was an adorable six year old with long beautiful dark hair. Her eyes could talk and she used them to do that very thing. She was just like every other child in the fact that she played with barbies and got excited over every little thing. The only thing that separated her from many others her age was the fact that she was confined to a wheelchair at the mere age of three. Most kids can barely walk straight at that age, but for Elizabeth, she had to learn to drive an electric wheelchair.
    She was born on a cold winter night in Germany and was comforted by her loving parents Mary and Ray. She was as beautiful as any other infant and her eyes lit the world around her. She smiled and giggled like any other baby would and her parents never expected the life that was in store for them.
    At nine months, Mary realized that Elizabeth wasn’t doing the things that a nine month old should. She wasn’t trying to roll or crawl. She never cried when something was out of her reach. She didn’t bat at the puppy or yank on his hair. The puppy in return didn’t try to knock her over, as he did to her brother. He instead would careful paw his near her and lay his head upon her tiny lap. Even the puppy knew that she was something special.
    Mary and Ray took Elizabeth to the doctor and explained what was going on. They had her taken in for further observations and did a biopsy on her. They sliced a small cut on her left thigh and took the tissue to be tested. Not long after, they knew exactly what was wrong with her.
    Elizabeth, also called Liz, was diagnosed with a fatal life threatening disease. She had a form of Muscular Dystrophy called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Clinically she was a Type 1, which was the most severe of the three types.
    “She won’t make it to her first birthday,” the doctors had told Liz’s parents. Little did they know, Elizabeth had already made her plans for life, and death wasn’t a part of it. No one told her that she wasn’t to live past her first birthday, therefore, who was to know.
    “She shouldn’t be alive,” they said again at one year and four months later. “She for sure won’t reach her third.” These doctors once again forgot to mention this to the strong willed, yet weak child Elizabeth.
    “I really don’t know why she is alive. She should be dead,” they said at three years and six months. “I, we, don’t know how to care for here her. I suggest taking her to a larger metropolitan area where the doctors are more informed and can give her the further care that she needs.” The family soon packed up and did exactly what the doctors said.
    Elizabeth fought in and out. She was always sick, yet never gave up. Her parents never let her off easy, the pushed her to the furthest that she could go. She would be thankful for it later. Her mental intellect was not one to be bargained with. She was as smart as any other child and maybe smarter than she should have been at her age. Her teachers let her help teach the others in her class because she had a way of explaining so that they knew exactly what it was that they needed to know. She may not have been given the gift of walking, but she wasn’t neglected the gift of intelligence.

    The ‘Make A Wish Foundation,’ an organization that grants wished to the terminally ill, contacted Elizabeth’s doctor to make sure that the McKillop family knew that Elizabeth could make her wish whenever she desired, just as long as it was before her eighteenth birthday. They wanted to make sure that she also knew that she could technically have anything that she wanted. She could go to Paris to see the sites. She could meet one of many actors or actresses. She could do the unbelievable. It was all up to her.
    “Yes Dr. Phillips, Liz has made her choice on a wish. I told her everything that she could chose from, and she thought of one all on her own,” Mary McKillop told Elizabeth’s doctor.
    “And what did she chose?” he asked.
    “She wants to meet Nsync, and go to one of their concerts. She told me that we as a family could go to Disney World anytime we wanted to, but we couldn’t grant her the wish of meeting her favorite group.”
    “This is the one thing that she really wants?” he asked just to verify.
    “That’s it,” she said.
    “Okay,” he answered. I’ll contact Gale Walsh and let her know. We’ll get this stuff ready for her.”
    “Thanks,” Mary said. “She’s really excited about the whole thing.”
    “I bet she is,” he said. “I’ll have Gale get in touch with you once things get started.”
    “Okay, thanks,” she said and then hung up the phone. Mary sat down on the couch and smiled. There were many things that they could do for Liz, but Liz was right on this one ... they couldn’t give her the promise to meet Nsync without the help of someone higher.

    Two weeks later the phone rang and Mrs. McKillop rushed to answer it before the answering machine kicked on. “Hello.”
    “Mrs. McKillop?”
    “This is she,” she said and sat down.
    “Hi, this is Gale Walsh from the Make A Wish Foundation. I was contacted by David Phillips in reference to your daughter Elizabeth Marie,” she said as she looked at her notes.
    “Yes,” she said so that Gale knew she could continue.
    “We were notified of the child’s wish and would like to make a house visit to further the plans on granting your child’s wish.”
    “That sounds fine,” Mary replied.
    “How is Tuesday?”
    “Tuesday is fine,” she said. “Elizabeth will be excited to hear that things are going alright with her wish.”
    “Well we are going to try to hurry things along. Our staff has notified the ‘starz’ director and they contacted Nsync’s publicist. They are going to be in town for a concert in three weeks.”
    “Three weeks?!” she exclaimed. “I don’t think that Liz knew it would be that soon. She’s going to be thrilled.”
    “Well we are going to hustle it along so that we can try to get her to that event, otherwise we’ll have to work out traveling plans to get her to another one.”
    “Whatever has to be done,” she said.
    “Okay, well I look forward to meeting your family Tuesday.”
    “Alright. See you then,” Gale replied and then hung up the phone.

    Tuesday rolled around quite quickly and Elizabeth was ready for the meeting. She was so happy to find out that they were going to grant her wish. She had told her three best friends, Destiny, Annette, and Rebecca, about her wish and they too were excited for her. As excited as any six year old could be.
    The doorbell rang and Liz zoomed into the living room to greet the people who would make her wish come true. “Come on in,” Mary said when she answered the door.
    “Hi,” Gale said as she extended a hand, “I’m Gale Walsh. These are my assistants Marsha and Tom.”
    “Hello. Nice to meet you,” she said in turn. “Please, please come in.”
    “Thanks,” they each said and stepped into the cozy house.
    “Have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”
    “No, we’re stuffed,” Gale answered. “We just ate before we came, but thanks.”
    Liz cleared her throat to get the attention that she wanted. “Aw yes,” her mother said. “This is Elizabeth.”
    “Oh and what a doll you are,” Marsha said. Elizabeth put on a fake smile. She hated those sarcastically made compliments. She may be only six, but she knew the fake attitude that people possessed. “Very beautiful in fact,” she continued to say. Elizabeth acknowledged that remark with a smile. Beautiful was far more of a true compliment than doll was.
    “Nice to meet you,” she said.
    “She can talk. How precious,” Tom said very quietly to Marsha.
    “I can’t walk. I’m not deaf and dumb,” Elizabeth said in her own defense.
    “Elizabeth,” her mother scolded.
    “Sorry,” she tailed back.
    “Elizabeth is extremely intelligent and is working on ways to deal with people when they assume that because she isn’t capable of walking, that she can’t speak or hear either.
    “No, I’m sorry,” Tom said. “We are used to seeing children that are so sick that they can’t exactly communicate on their own.”
    “It’s okay,” Liz said with a smile. “I’m used to it.”
    “Well,” Gale broke in to break the tension. “She is sharp witted,” she said with a smile. “I’m sure you’ll fit right in when you get to meet the guys of Nsync.” The smile that overtook Liz’s face was one that couldn’t be described in even the most well written words. “Let’s get this started.”
    They spent about an hour talking and going over plans. They had set up for Elizabeth to be able to bring her three friends to the show with her, and her family as well. The set them up at the Four Season’s hotel, and was going to pay for them to go out to eat the day of the concert as well. They had gotten them all meet and greet passes as well. This was really going to be an event that Elizabeth would never forget.

    Three weeks had come and Liz was all ready for the experience of a lifetime. She was about to meet the band of her dreams. Hear, live, the music that soothed her soul when she spent days and weeks laying in a hospital bed. Talk to the guys that covered the walls of her room. Have the wish that an ill child only gets to make once before the gift of life comes to an end.
    They spent about two hours at the mall shopping and eating in the fancy restaurant they had there. After that everyone checked into the hotel and the girls went down to the salon and got their hair done for the show. They may only be six, but they knew that Nsync was a group of cute guys, and they in turn wanted to look their best. It was a handful having four six year olds with them at the hotel, but Mary knew that it would pay off in the end with all the happiness.
    Finally it was time for the meet and greet. They got to the venue just in time to be let in to go to the room in the back of the huge arena. They filed in one by one and sat in the given rows in the room. Elizabeth parked her wheelchair right on the end of the second row. The girls were all giddy and Mary smiled at their excitement. They sat there for a total of twenty minutes before Elizabeth’s eyes truly lit up with passion.
    JC walked in first, and Elizabeth smiled with all her being as her favorite passed in front of her. Joey was next, and then Justin and Lance. Last but not least, in the most, Chris rode in on a bike and had a smile from ear to ear. He winked at Elizabeth and her heart leaped. She couldn’t believe that they were actually there. They held the question and answer thing, but the girls were too young to take in that whole concept. They were satisfied by just looking at the guys and giggling in return.
    “He’s so cute,” Elizabeth said to Destiny.
    “Oh I know! Look at Joey. He’s wearing a cool shirt!”
    “Look at my Lance,” Annette yelled over.
    “Oh and my Justin has in braids,” Rebecca squealed.
    The girls laughed, giggled, pointed, and smiled as they watched the group of guys in front of them. After ten minutes of talk and pictures it was time for them to go get something signed. Each of the girls’ hearts skipped a beat when they realized that they were about to be within inches of the guys. Rebecca went first. “Hi,” she smiled and passed through each guy and handed them the picture that she brought for them to sign. She got to Justin and was speechless. Stardom brought her to a point of no words.
    Destiny went next and just flashed her adorable smile to each of the guys.
    “And don’t you have a beautiful smile,” Lance told her. She almost burst into tears right then and there, because of his sweet comment filled with nothing but heart. She flirted as a teenager would. Her personality of the future Destiny shone through at her young age of six. She would definitely have guys eating out of her hands.
    Annette spoke barely. She must have been star struck also. She just casually handed them the picture and smiled as they said hello to her and told her to enjoy the show.
    Next up was Mary and Liz. Elizabeth’s mother handed JC her picture and said, “this is Elizabeth and we are here through the Make A Wish Foundation.” This is the statement that her mother made to each of the guys as they approached them.
    “It’s so nice to meet you,” he said to her and reached out to touch her hand.
    Liz was indefinitely on cloud nine. “You too,” she managed to say between her sweet smile.
    “I hope you like the show,” Joey said as she passed him.
    “So, you’re gonna see the show huh?” Justin said.
    “Yup!” she exclaimed.
    “Well, it’s really boring,” Justin commented. “We just stand there and do nothing,” he said. Liz’s eyes were wide open with anticipation of what he would say next.
    “Justin’s boring, but the rest of us are fun,” Chris cut in.
    Elizabeth broke out with a cute laughter and said, “I bet you are all great!”
    “Well you enjoy it okay sweetie,” Justin said.
    “I will,” she said with another smile. Her cheeks were beginning to hurt from all the smiling and her heart was about to melt because Justin Timberlake just called her sweetie.
    “Hey there,” Lance said as she approached him.
    “I saw you on the Millionaire show,” she laughed.
    Lance too laughed. “Well don’t mark my intelligence on that show,” he laughed again. “Those questions were hard!”
    “I know!” she said. “But you did good!”
    “Well thanks. Have fun at the show, k?”
    “Okay!” she said.
    As she left the table she was stopped by a big man that went by the name of Lonnie. “Please wait here,” he said to Mary and Elizabeth. The other girls had already been escorted out of the room but they were being watched by another one of Nsync’s security guards.
    Elizabeth didn’t know that the experience wasn’t over yet. The room emptied out quickly and within seconds Joey was standing at her side. “How are ya?” he asked and kneeled next to her.
    “I’m good,” she anxiously said.
    “Flirting as usual,” Chris said as he made his way over. “Joey, she’s not even legal,” he joked.
    Elizabeth laughed because they did, not because she had any clue what they meant. “Hi Chris,” she said with glee.
    “Hey darlin’,” he replied back.
    Justin walked over to her next. “So you’re sure you still wanna see the show even though it’s going to be boring,” he joked with her again.
    “I’m sure,” she said with a full real smile.
    “Oh now this is my kind of girl,” he said as he looked at her.
    “What kind of girl?” JC asked when he made his way over. Always late, but worth the wait.
    “Look at the shirt,” he said with a grin. All the guys looked at her shirt, to include Liz.
    “Oh brother,” Joey said.
    “Abercrombie Kids,” JC finished.
    “The kid has style,” Justin said. “Major cool points.”
    “It’s cute!” Liz exclaimed as she looked at her shirt.
    They all laughed again. “Well how’s about we take a picture,” Lance said.
    “Sounds good to me,” Joey said back.
    “Is that alright with you Elizabeth?” Justin asked.
    The smile on her face answered for itself, but she said, “YUP,” just to clarify it.
    All the guys gathered around her and Mary took the picture. “Wait can I get just one more? Just in case.”
    “Sure,” Chris laughed.
    Mary took one more and then smiled as she saw the look on her daughter’s face. They had just made her day. They made her ‘one wish’ worth all its being. She thanked all the guys and then her and Elizabeth made their way out of the room.
    “Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Liz exclaimed as she met up with her friends.
    “Wow what happened?” Destiny asked.
    “Why are you crying?” Liz asked immediately.
    “Lance told her that her smile was beautiful,” Annette said and stressed the word beautiful. Everyone giggled and then Elizabeth went on to tell them what happened with the guys as they made their way down to the floor, where their seats for the show were.

    “We are this close?!” all the girls screamed as they looked at the stage from front row.
    “That’s what your tickets say,” the usher security type guy said.
    “Wow,” they each said in awe.
    “This is going to be so great,” Annette said.
    “It so totally is,” the bright eyed Elizabeth said and then brought her full attention to the stage as the opening act went on.

    The girls were in complete awe once the show finished. They couldn’t believe it. Any of it. Every time the guys were on the same side of the stage as the girls were, they would smile and wave. It was an amazing experience and definitely one that none of the girls would forget. The intense action. The stamina. The lights. The heat. The music. The power of the crowd. These were things that no one could take away from Elizabeth’s memory. This was her wish, and her dream.
    With a tear in her eye, “wishes do come true,” Elizabeth said to her mom.
    “And my love, ‘God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You’,” she answered back. Liz smiled at her mom’s use of Nsync’s song to describe the feelings that she was having as she looked at her angel’s smile. As she looked at the happiness that one encounter with Nsync withheld. Her ONE wish.

The End

Tell Amanda Di what you thought of this story!