On a beautiful Sunday afternoon in July, a thirteen year old girl from East Palo Alto arrived at her birthday party in a horse-drawn carriage, escorted by a prince.
This was no ordinary fourteenth birthday party—all eyes were on the girl in a custom made ball gown, whose wish to be a princess for her birthday was coming true. Josselin, who suffers from retinoblastoma and is blind, could nevertheless hear the camera shutters clicking away as her guests greeted her at the door of the Sainte Claire Hotel in San Jose. On her arm was her prince—Dr. Lee Sanders, a member of her medical team. Inside, an entire ballroom was decorated in a way fit for a princess, with a three-tiered cake, photo backdrop custom designed with crystal Braille lettering, a table loaded with sweets, and a screen showing her favorite princess movies. The DJ played the theme song from Beauty and the Beast as she and Dr. Sanders had the first dance.
Numerous volunteers and businesses came together, donating their time and resources to make her party magical. Event planner Cristina Burns of Bridal Stop Events made sure every detail was considered. And soon after her wish, we received a handwritten note and drawing from Josselin: “I can’t stop thinking about my big princess party. Now I feel happier than ever. Thank you so much Make-A-Wish for making my dream come true.”