Wish stories

Amelia's wish...

“I wish to go to the Pokémon Championships”

13 years old, Stockport

Auto-inflammatory syndrome

The number of children in the UK who could benefit from a wish has doubled in the last 15 years, and is set to increase further.

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13-year-old Amelia has been Pokémon obsessed since the age of Four, something mum Rebecca said “came out of nowhere!” A lifelong fan, Amelia has always wanted to go to a Pokémon event but never had the chance to. “We didn’t know of any Pokémon events happening in the UK,” explained Mum. But when Amelia was referred to Make-A-Wish and had their initial call with their Wishgranter, they learned about the Pokémon Championships, and knew that Amelia would love it! Living with a rare genetic condition means that Amelia’s eyesight and mobility will deteriorate. Because of this, opportunities like her wish are needed as they enable her to create lifelong memories. As Mum said: “Those three days allowed us to go to London, a place she had never gone to before, and experience the Pokémon championships. It was a mini holiday for us and a proper break!”

Amelia's story

Amelia lives with an extremely rare genetic degenerative condition, Bardet–Biedl syndrome. As a result of this her eyesight and mobility are expected to get worse as she ages: “She has autism, polycystic kidneys, and she’s losing her eyesight. She has mobility issues and problems with her teeth, so it impacts everything.”

Initially, Amelia was only thought to have autism after being diagnosed at age three. Mum was then asked if Amelia would be part of a gene study where the then four-year-old underwent genetic testing. For three years, the family didn’t hear anything back. During this time, Mum noticed that Amelia’s eyesight was off: “She couldn’t see when it was dark.” Finally, when Amelia was seven, the family received the long-awaited results of the genetic testing, which showed that Amelia had Bardet–Biedl syndrome:

“We didn't know she was losing her eyesight because of the condition. We thought it was down to her autism. It was only when we got the gene testing results back that we knew.”

With her vision deteriorating, Amelia struggles to do the things she loves: “She only walks through guided walking by linking arms with me. She struggles to see the screen of her computer. She’s losing confidence to go places and do things as her vision deteriorates. That will be a huge thing for her as everything she enjoys relies on her eyesight, like going on her switch, cinema, and bowling.”

For siblings Jake and Libby, ages nine and 18, Amelia’s condition has taught them to be understanding and kind. As Mum told us, “They're both really kind, if anything it makes them more considerate of other people. They're aware that things aren't always perfect!”

Now, the family hops on every opportunity there is to experience things together with Amelia – especially if it involves Pokémon!

“She’s obsessed with Pokémon, she has been since she was four. I don't know where it came from as no one else in the family had an interest in Pokémon!”

From watching the TV series when she was younger, Amelia has now grown to love Pokémon's Nintendo Switch games and often relies on them for a needed source of distraction:

“She takes her switch with her to hospital. As she’s gotten older, she’s had more frequent appointments as her condition deteriorates, so she takes her Pokémon stuff with her!"

Amelia is wearing a grey zip hoodie and dark wash skinny jeans. She is stood smiling for the camera inside a human-size toy figurine box. On the cover of the box is a large yellow Pokémon character called Pikachu.

Amelia’s family had always wanted to bring her to a Pokémon event but found it hard to find one in the UK that they could attend. All that changed when Amelia’s grandmother referred Amelia to the wish-granting charity: “ My Mum referred her and told us after! I wouldn't have done it myself as I didn't know she was eligible! I thought Make-A-Wish was for terminal conditions only.”

This wasn’t the first time that the family had heard of the charity though, with Amelia’s uncle having had a wish after a cancer diagnosis.

After being referred, Amelia and Mum then sat down for their initial call with her Wishgranter, who mentioned the Pokémon championships: “Her Wishgranter was the person who helped her find out about this. We knew about a pop-up Pokémon centre in London once, but you tend to find out about these things after they happen!”

Ahead of the wish Amelia, who often doesn’t get easily excited, was buzzing. As Mum said, “She was really looking forward to it and she normally doesn’t really show a great deal of excitement about things!”

Amelia's wish

February 2025

Amelia is stood in front of a brightly lit display cabinet with a collection of Pokémon Funko Pop figures displayed. In the centre, there's a large Pikachu.

On the 21st of February, Amelia’s Pokémon adventure began with the family checking into their London-based hotel! The next day Amelia, her Mum, sister Libby, brother Jake, and dad Graham, ate breakfast before heading to the Pokémon championships at the London ExCell Centre.

When Mum and Amelia walked into the centre, they were thrilled to see a line of people all clapping and cheering Amelia on! As Mum shared “There were about 100 people on each side high fiving her and clapping just for her! It was lovely!”

Mum and Amelia then watched the opening ceremony, with Amelia captivated by it all: “She was wholeheartedly watching what was going on.”

During the championships, Amelia was taught two different ways of playing Pokémon cards by Pokémon professionals. “They really took their time showing us how to play. They gave us the cards of the game we played to take it with us! She took to it instantly! She’s gotten us playing the card games since we got back, she beats us every time. It's given her a confidence boost,” explained Mum.

But the highlight of the wish for Amelia was being able to get whatever Pokémon merchandise she wanted – and all for free: “they gave the Amelia and her siblings these massive baskets to fill with anything they wanted! There was no limit. To be in her favourite shop ever and be told you can get whatever you like is amazing.”

Mum was astonished by the generosity and kindness of Pokémon: “The lady who met us there and who works for Pokémon was lovely and couldn't be more helpful. If there was anything Amelia wanted to do, she made sure she had front-row seats for it. I don't think any company could have been better! Everyone that was there was so kind and thoughtful, nothing was too much trouble! Everyone moved out of the way for us, as Amelia's vision is poor. You don't find that often!”

The impact of Amelia's wish

Now, Amelia has a lifelong hobby, something that she hopes to make a career out of one day! As Mum explained: “She was saying that if she can get good enough at competing with Pokémon cards, then she can make a career out of it! So she also discovered that through the wish.”

Now the family is extremely grateful for the needed life-long memories their wish gave them: “Thank you! Make-A-Wish made a very big difference. It's something she’ll never forget. The experience she had will be unmatched by any other!”

Amelia is wearing a red Pokémon t-shirt and dark skinny jeans. Amelia is on a stage lit with blue light and is standing next to a large Pikachu mascot at the Pokémon Championships in London. Both are smiling widely for the camera.

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