Ten-year-old Mandy Enman has been wearing a smile on her face since last summer.
It was last August when the 10-year-old daughter of North Enmore couple Randy and Betty Enman found out the P.E.I. chapter of the Children’s Wish Foundation would be granting her a wish.
When asked what her wish was, Mandy didn’t hesitate on a family trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.
“I saw a smile on her face that I hadn’t seen for quite a while,” said Betty. “She had been through a lot. It was nice to see a bit of her coming back.”
“I could not stop smiling that night when mom told me I got the wish,” said Mandy.
That smile was still on the family’s faces when they were in Charlottetown waiting to leave Tuesday.
The family was staying at the Delta Prince Edward, courtesy of the foundation, before flying out Wednesday.
From there the family, none of whom have ever been to Florida, will stay at the Give the Kids the World resort. The 70-acre non-profit resort in central Florida is an area where children and their families from wish foundations around the world can stay cost-free.
The family will also meet up with Mandy’s 26-year-old brother Greg, as well as his wife and daughter, to explore Disney World together.
One of the first stops will be to the Tower of Terror, as well as a visit to the dolphins at SeaWorld, said Mandy.
“And I want to see the animal exhibit,” she said. “It’s like a dream come true.”
The family didn’t leave P.E.I. before thanking the man who helped make the dream become reality.
En route to the Delta, the family stopped at ISE’s Sports Bar to meet former general manager Michael Roberts. Roberts is now GM at East Side Marios, which is owned by the Murphy Group of Restaurants.
Last June he organized and hosted the second annual ISE’s Open golf tournament at Green Gables Golf Course in Cavendish. Funds raised from the tournament went towards the P.E.I. foundation, more specifically Mandy’s wish.
“I was totally blown away when I found that out,” Betty said. “For a company to come together and do something like that is totally amazing. It’s greatly appreciated.”
Seeing the happiness on the family’s face before they left made it all worthwhile, said Roberts, who plans on continuing the golf tournament with East Side Mario’s.
“Seeing her today for the first time, she had a huge smile on her face and that was the whole reason we were doing this,” he said. The foundation is a national non-profit organization dedicated to granting the most heartfelt wishes to children facing a life-threatening illness. Any Canadian child between the ages of three to 17 who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness may qualify for a wish.
Money raised for the P.E.I. foundation all goes towards the wishes of Island children.
All wishes are granted through fundraising efforts, added Jason MacLean of the foundation.
“So it’s wonderful to have people like Mike, who are passionate at what they do, have a vision and succeed at it,” MacLean said.
