Emily Nielsen, 14, was diagnosed in 2008 with the auto-immune disease Juvenile dermatomyositis, a rare inflammatory disorder that causes severe muscle weakness. Despite this, she lives as any other teenager her age – playing sports, listening to music and hanging out with friends.
And, like most other Danish children, she recently held a confirmation ceremony. In her case, however, it wasn’t a standard party.
Nielsen received the surprise of her young life when Ønskefonden (The Make-A-Wish Foundation Denmark) showed up and gave her a present which would have been near impossible for anyone else to arrange: a trip to Chicago and two concert tickets along with back-stage passes to see the popular British broadband One Direction.
Nielsen’s mother works for the US Embassy in Copenhagen and still has family in the US. One of these relatives is Nielsen’s cousin, who also happens to be Emily's best friend. She lives in Chicago, and Emily has been longing to visit her, so there’s no doubt about who will be getting the extra ticket for the July concert.
When she was presented with the tickets on April 27, all she could say was: "I can't believe it."
Nielsen can thank her older sister, Sarah for the gift, as she was the one who wrote a letter to Ønskefonden, asking them to grant her sister's biggest wish.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation International’s aim is to grant the wish of sick children between the age of three and 18 years. Ønskefonden was established in April 1999 and has since then made a dream come true for 1,100 children.
NOTE: Due to spell check error, Ønskefonden was originally listed as Oneself. We apologise for the error.
