The Best Of Celebrities In 2009!
Jun 22, 2009 8:18 pm US/Eastern
Dream Vacation Wishes Come True Thanks To RCCL
Royal Caribbean Granted Wishes To 9 Sick Kids Through Make-A-Wish Foundation
Families Were Sent On Week-Long Caribbean Cruise
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
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Kishelly Brown has been through a lot at her young age, but Royal Caribbean is giving her and her family a big vacation break with lots of water and sun.
CBS
Charities are taking a hit in this economy including The Make-A-Wish Foundation which grants wishes for kids with life threatening illnesses. The organization needs money to grant all of those wishes but one Miami-based company is doing its part to help.
Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines recently granted nine wishes when it sent nine families on a luxury Caribbean cruise.
One of those wish recipients was 12-year old Kishelly Brown. Brown, from Cape Coral, suffers from Ulcerative Colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the small intestine and colon. Her mother Ingrid Trevino said Kishelly spent all of last summer in the hospital.
"It's hard to talk about, don't like to talk about her being in the hospital. We didn't get to do anything that summer," Trevino told
CBS4's Cynthia Demos, who took part in the cruise along with
CBS4's Jorge Estevez.
But this year, it's a much different story thanks to The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Royal Caribbean. While on the cruise to Puerto Rico and St. Marteen, the kids really looked forward to and enjoyed the ships wide array of activities.
Kishelly couldn't wait to enjoy the ship's "Flo-rider surfing machine" and she even challenged her little brother Reggie.
For 7-year old wish recipient Canyon Whitley, it was all about the rock climbing wall.
Whitley has had Dermatomyositis since he was two years old. It's a connective-tissue disease characterized by inflammation of the muscles and the skin. It's a disease he won't outgrow and his family said they really needed this getaway.
So did 13-year old Josh Goldfarb's family. He's in remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma, also known as Hodgkin's disease, which is a type of cancer.
When asked what part of the trip he was looking forward to the most, Josh replied, "The water, because I love to swim." And swim he did. The Goldfarb's couldn't get enough time in the water.
As for Canyon Whitley, he spent plenty of time on the rock climbing wall with Jorge Estevez.
Kishelly tried to master the Flo-rider surfing machine and challenged her little brother who looked like a pro from the beginning. They both loved every minute of it.
Goals were fulfilled and wishes were granted amid lots of laughter during their week at sea. One thing the families can agree on is that laughter is the best medicine.
To find out more about The Make-A-Wish Foundation, just go to
www.wish.org for the national organization web site or go to
www.sflawish.org for The Make-A-Wish Foundation Southern Florida Chapter.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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