This is Why the Disney Make-a-Wish “Once Upon a Wish” Ball is so Important Stories from our Hometown. Born and raised just outside Philadelphia, PA, and living the majority of our lives there, we still maintain our Philly cred! Although we live right outside of Walt Disney World now, we still have family and friends back home.
So when a friend sent us this story from our local news 6ABC Philly, we couldn’t help but pass this along. We have shared so much about the cast members, from one who was a Wish kid themselves, to the over 500 Disney cast members who are behind the scenes making the “Once Upon a Wish” Ball so special.
Now we get to share the story of two special girls who were invited to Walt Disney World and the “Once Upon a Wish” ball happening right now.
Related: Make-A-Wish Families Share Excitement for Disney Princess Party “Once Upon a Wish”
It’s World Princess Week at Walt Disney World, and two special princesses from the Delaware Valley are heading to Orlando, Florida, for a truly magical experience. They will attend the “Once Upon A Wish Party,” a princess-themed ball.
6abc’s parent company, Disney, teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for one of their biggest wish-granting events. “I am going to go to Disney World,” says 5-year-old Sloane Capaldo from South Philadelphia.
She can’t wait to see her favorite princesses. “I am most excited to see Belle and Ariel,” Capaldo says. Shortly after she turned one, Capaldo developed a rash. Her pediatrician sent the family to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for bloodwork. “And then, all of a sudden, a whole team comes in the room in the emergency room to tell us that Sloane had leukemia,” recalls Capaldo’s mother, Lyndsay.
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“It’s heart-wrenching as a parent to watch your child go through this. She was so young that there was no way to explain it to her,” she continued. Capaldo is now in remission and has been off treatment since last year. So now, it’s time to make some wishes come true.
“I took all my medicine and that’s why I get to go to the ball,” Capaldo says. “I’m brave and strong!” Her father, Jonathan, says the support has been truly overwhelming. “These are memories that are going to last a lifetime for her,” he says. “I think this encapsulates how special she really is.”
Lily Ruiz, 8, from Middletown, Delaware, will also be at the ball. “My wish was to have a tea party with Belle,” Ruiz says. The Ruiz family found out last year that the pain in their daughter’s arm was a sign of something more serious. “Lily has a very rare form of leukemia,” says her mother, Jackie.
Treatment was long, and the road to remission has been bumpy. But finally, Ruiz was medically cleared for this royal moment. “Lily is the most resilient, strong-willed, brave, courageous, just full-of-joy, little girl,” her mother said. And now, the whole family is headed to Orlando to celebrate.
Ruiz and Capaldo are two of 100 guests invited to the “Once Upon a Wish Party” for Make-A-Wish at Walt Disney World. The festivities run through August 26.
