“It started with sympathy towards underprivileged children, and ended with joy, courage and hope”
I didn’t realize how much this trip would change my life. It started with sympathy towards underprivileged
children, and ended with joy, courage and hope.
The first couple of days were hard. We were all tired from the time change and lack of sleep, and hot because…
well… because of the weather. But we pulled through. Also, everyone was too excited to visit the children to worry
about that.
Once we got to the Coalition’s office to wrap the gifts everything became so real. And after we started fulfilling the
first few wishes it became beyond real. Seeing the kids smile once you enter their homes makes your day. Seeing
the parents cry while watching their son or daughter have a good time and laugh makes your heart melt. But seeing
the terminally-ill child you are there to help cry for whatever reason it may be; happiness, sadness, gave me this
unexplainable feeling inside that caused butterflies in the pit of my stomach.
One of the girls we visited, Klaudia, was 16 years old with C.F. and hardly ever smiled. It was like the life was
sucked right out of her. When we left it really hit me. She really didn’t have much time, along with many other
children. Then that got me thinking about the whole, very small world. I was thinking about how people – children,
are dying all the time and very little people do anything about it.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic people out there. Four great examples are: Garry, Kamila, Agata and
Ada. You just need to want to help and then get in contact with them. But that was the one night when I broke
down. I had an emotional breakdown and didn't know what to do. So I cried. Just walked and cried.
You would think that after 6 or 7 wishes or so it would get old. “Walk in, watch kids open their wishes, ask a few
questions and leave”. That’s not the case at all. Each one of them had an incredibly unique story that touched each
one of us differently every time.
This trip made me realize how lucky I really am and how much I, my family and friends and others who have it
easy take for granted. Literally everything; our homes, cars, bathrooms, hair straighteners, food … and even our
lives.
