Rachael Age 12 Rome, Maine Rachael wishes to go to the World Cup Finals!

Rachael had no idea what to choose as her wish. Living with Cystic Fibrosis, this 12-year-old girl from Rome, Maine, discovered early on that playing soccer helped with this lung disease. Two weeks before the FIFA World Cup Final’s this year, Rachael was watching a US game when it hit her: she wanted to go to the final game in South Africa!

Thanks to a fast response from Make-A-Wish staff and a generous donation, Rachael and her family were soon on their way to pick up passports in Boston and a plane to South Africa.

“When they told me my wish to go to the World Cup was going to be granted, I just froze in my footsteps and was like, ‘wow!’” said Rachael. But, an even bigger wow came during the actual wish. “Being at the game was so exciting and spectacular. The music was blaring, we blew our vuvuzelas, the players were playing really well and the trophy was so close, I felt like I could almost touch it!”

Rachael’s father, Pete, said the whole family loved the trip and that it seemed like a whirlwind because it happened so fast. It feels to him, however, that everything surrounding Rachael’s condition has seemed like a whirlwind.

“She was accepted into a trial drug study in December and it was a whirlwind to get her into it and a lot of travel for Rachael, but she was a trooper. She said to me that ‘if this can help other kids like me and possibly help my own condition, it’s a no-brainer for me to do it, Dad.’  She’s a special kid and is just reelin’ about this next whirlwind adventure.”

Not only did the family go to the soccer game, but they were also given a safari tour and other exciting adventures while in South Africa including a tour of Nelson Mandela’s village from his youth and even dancing with a native tribe.

“We saw the big five-” said Rachael when talking about the safari, “lions, buffalos, elephants, leopards and rhino’s. We even had two leopard cubs climb on the vehicle!”

Pete said that they will be talking about this wish for years to come and Rachael added that it’s a nice break from thinking about her disease “all the time.” 

“I would love to share everything I was able to do and thank them as much as I could,” said Rachael. “This trip was very important to me; it was amazing. I loved being able to kick back and relax with my family.”

After a long flight home, Rachael was happy to reconnect with one family member that couldn’t attend the wish: her dog Cupcake. “She was so excited to see us back. We took a family picture of the four of us down by the pond when we got home and Cupcake walked right into the picture because she wanted to be in it with us!”

The timing of this incredible donation from Steven Taslitz and Rachael deciding upon her exact wish were impeccable.

“Our Foundation could not exist without generous support from donors who want to help these kids’ dreams come true,” said Tom Peaco, Executive Director at the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Maine. “The impact that the wish experience has on the child who is facing a life-threatening medical condition, his or her  family, surrounding community and even the donors who help make everything possible is lasting and truly life-changing.”

Thank You: Wish Granters Veronica Pratt and Jennifer Ranger, Roadtrips, Inc., Steven Taslitz.