Wish Makers at Bama, the University’s branch of Make-A-Wish Alabama, held its first wish reveal Thursday, granting Northport resident Angel Shepherd and her family a trip to Disney World.
“It’s a blessing,” said James Shepherd, Angel’s father, speaking of his excitement to take his family on the trip.
Angel has trisomy 18, a genetic condition usually diagnosed before birth with a life expectancy of less than a year. She is now 4 years old.
“This is the first trip actually taking her out without the possibility of the worries,” said KeDedre Grant, Angel’s mother, adding that she’s glad she won’t have to think about her daughter’s illness during the trip.
Mia Woeber, vice president of Wish Makers at Bama, said, “Even though she is dealing with difficult challenges in her life, she can have this special moment and create special memories at Disney with her family.”
Dalis Lampkins, secretary of the Birmingham Regional Advisory Council for Make-A-Wish Alabama, spoke about the value of the reveal.
“It’s really special to have a reveal like this, where the wish kid is coming in and they don’t know what is going on,” Lampkins said. “They have no idea that their wish has been granted. So this organization has just had the opportunity to tell Angel for the very first time that her wish has been granted.”
Every wish costs $10,000 to grant. Wish Maker at Bama spent all school year raising money through various events.
“Even though she’s nonverbal, you can just see how excited she is with everyone here,” said Emma Woeber, president of Wish Makers at Bama. “We do everything we can to raise $10,000, but this moment right here is what it’s for.”
