A Little Mermaid

Make-A-Wish® Connecticut granted Destiny Gwizd’s wish to have a saltwater pool.

Four-year-old Destiny loves pretending she’s a mermaid and dancing princess while she splashes and plays in the water. Swimming is her all-time favorite activity; in fact, her parents call her a mermaid because they have such a hard time getting her out of the water!

Destiny was born with congenital heart disease and has had many surgeries in her four short years. Swimming is great exercise and has healing benefits for this little mermaid’s heart and skin. And although she is only semi-verbal right now, she has some words, points and is able to make herself understood. One thing Destiny made very clear was her wish to have a heated, saltwater pool where she could swim like a real mermaid and enjoy the water with her friends and family – right in her own back yard!

This dancing princess watched expectantly as her pool went up and was being filled with water. And even though Destiny had never been in a pool before, the minute it was ready she grabbed a tube and jumped right in! Her mom Melissa shared that “her face lights up every time she goes outside! She is so excited to have gotten a pool as her WISH from Make-A-Wish!”

Please join us in support of our Summer of Hope campaign. Your gift today will give wish kids, like Destiny, hope so they can look forward to tomorrow ct.wish.org/summerofhope

Make-A-Wish® Connecticut creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. They seek to bring every eligible child's wish to life because a wish is an integral part of a child's treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. Together, generous donors, supporters, staff and volunteers across the state currently grant nearly 250 wishes a year. Since 1986, Make-A-Wish Connecticut has granted more than 3,400 wishes to local children. For more information about Make-A-Wish Connecticut, visit ct.wish.org.