Wish stories

After dad Will noticed a lump above Ella’s hip bone when Ella jumped on his lap during a scary bit of the Super Mario Bros film, mum called 111 and googled her daughter’s symptoms. “When I googled it, it mentioned a hernia,” said mum. Dad noticed Ella’s symptoms on a Saturday, so the parents had to wait till Monday to take her to her GP. On Monday the family were told by Ella’s doctor that it was unlikely to be a hernia, and were sent to Noah’s Ark hospital. “When we were at the hospital, they asked us a lot of questions that made us think that it was serious but sent us home as it was too late to do an ultrasound.” The next day Ella and her parents received devastating news following an ultrasound: “The lady doing the ultrasound said do you want to know what it is? I said yes but took Ella out of the room, so it was just my husband receiving the news. We could just tell by the look on his face when he walked out that it was serious.”

That Friday, less than a week after noticing the lump above her hip bone, Ella had a port fitted and started chemotherapy for a Wilms tumour, a type of cancer found on the kidneys. “If someone said the Friday before that this time next week you'll be going through this we would have never believed them,” shared mum.

Chemotherapy caused Ella’s hair to start to fall out and get matted, prompting mum to ask her if she would want to cut the rest of her hair off: “Obviously there were tears. When we went to the hairdressers she wore a scarf. They took her into a room in the back to cut her hair, to give her some privacy as it can be quite a sensitive thing. But the minute she had it cut off she walked back into the main room of the hairdressers with no scarf for everyone to see - to have the confidence to do that at just six is amazing.”

From the moment she got ill, bubbly and sociable Ella just wanted to get better so that she could see her best friends at school. “She loves school and loves being at the centre of attention,” said mum. 

Throughout her treatment, the bond Ella shared with her friends grew and grew. As mum told us, “She actually got closer to some of these friends during treatment! One day her play therapist asked if she ever receives unkind comments from kids at school about her lack of hair or anything. I said no, her friends have only shown her kindness and care. Some of friends at school wore matching head scarves when Ella was wearing a headscarf after losing her hair.”

After six weeks of chemotherapy to shrink the tumour on her kidney, Ella was taken into surgery in June 2023 to remove the kidney that the tumour was attached to. As mum said, “She had the surgery on the Monday, the same week on the Friday she was able to go home! She then received chemotherapy for the next six months every few weeks.”

It’s now been over a year since Ella’s last chemotherapy on the 5th of January 2024. Mum and dad are amazed and so proud of the progress their daughter has made: “There are times now where we see her running with her friends and we just pinch myself and think did this journey happen?”

Now, the sociable Ella undergoes scans every three months which she requests to be during the holidays so that she doesn't miss out on any more school! As mum told us “Ella got treated at Noah’s Ark hospital in Cardiff which without doubt we see as the best hospital in the world. The care all their friendly staff provided and continue to provide is something we’ll never forget, and the reason Ella runs into every appointment with a huge smile on her face knowing she’ll always see amazing and caring staff.”

Still, the impact of treatment is greatly felt by Ella. “She said to me one day ‘I know I’m better from cancer, but it still impacts me emotionally,’” shared mum. Having previously thought that wishes were only for terminally ill children, mum and dad were shocked to learn that Ella was eligible for a wish: “When one of the nurses said Ella could have a wish, I said to my husband but that's only for ill children. The nurse reassured us that Ella was eligible despite not being terminal, then showed us a document with all the things she could do.”

Ella excitedly filled in the book she received from Make-A-Wish that helps children think about what they want their wish to be. When having a call to talk about what she would want for her wish, it was obvious that Ella’s friends would have to be involved. As mum told us, “All her friends were talking about having pamper parties, so it grew from going shopping and having a pamper party with her friends to what it became. It ended up being something bigger than what we could have ever imagined!”

The planning in the build-up to her wish amplified Ella and her friends' excitement. A few nights before her wish, Ella and her friends tried on all the clothes that had been donated for her wish: “All the things in the build-up to the fashion show made such a difference." 

On 23rd November 2024, Ella’s fashion show extravaganza commenced. The fashionista arrived early at St David’s Shopping Centre, Cardiff, practising her walk alongside her friends. As well as having the donated clothes to use for her fashion show, Ella was given some vouchers to use at the shopping centre's many stores. At midday, Ella and her friends headed to John Lewis, where they had their makeovers done in preparation for the show. As mum said, “She loved shopping and having her makeup done as well!” But the highlight of the day was of course walking the catwalk!

A standout moment from the day is one that will stick with the family forever. As mum shared: “When Ella and her friends were practising for the fashion show they said that they were going to pick Ella up at the end. We were slightly hesitant, but they did it. As they did it, they all said something really lovely about Ella. They were also laughing! It was just so lovely!”

Ella’s wish helped her as she transitioned back to a life away from hospitals and treatment. After the wish helped her heal from her cancer experience mum and dad are forever grateful: “The kids get so involved in creating their wish. With their conditions, so many decisions get made for these kids, but this is their chance for them to tell us what they want!”