By MWF/PIO
Sept.29. 2009

Greeted with a fragrant lei and a friendly “Aloha,” 10-year-old Maggie from Boynton Beach felt right at home during her wish trip to Hawaii. It was her ideal wish because of her love of the outdoors and her desire to have fun with her family. There’s so much to do and see in Honolulu and Maggie, who is battling leukemia, tried her hardest to do it all.

There was time for plenty of water activities including snorkeling in Hanauma Bay, with its horseshoe-shaped beach lined with mountains. To make her swim even more special, a turtle poked its head out to say aloha. She and her father also took a private surf lesson with the Hawaiian Fire Surf School at Kalaeloa Beach where the waves are tame enough for beginners to tackle.

At a traditional luau, Maggie and her family learned the hula, played island games and made their own leis. Maggie got a turtle painted on her arm and tasted the local specialty called poi. She had one word for the paste-like Polynesian favorite – “Eck!”

Having studied Hawaii in school, Maggie revisited her history class with a tour of the Battleship Missouri Memorial in Pearl Harbor. She even trekked to the top of Diamond Head, a dormant volcano, that she said is “like a crater.” She took a bus tour of Oahu, where she saw lots of breathtaking mountain and water views.

Maggie’s mother said, “It was a fantastic time for our whole family. Maggie had a ball every day.”

Wish Granters: Elaine Oswald & Carolyn Pucci
Referred by: a family friend
Adopted by: Jewelers for Children3

Source Make A Wish Foundation

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