Wish stories

14-year-old Millie-B, from Aberdeen, used to be a bright and bubbly kid. “She was a people person and very social,” said dad Bryan. When a diagnosis of an unknown illness left Millie-B timid and scared, her parents didn’t know how to bring Millie-B back to her old outgoing self. But when Millie-B had her wish granted to have A VR headset, the world of gaming revived her bubbly character, giving her family their daughter back.

“We spoke to both our parents. We asked so many people about her condition and no one had heard of any of the things that she had.” At age 12, Millie-B was diagnosed with an ultra-rare condition, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) - a chronic form of liver disease that, without a liver transplant, can lead to a host of life-threatening medical complications. Launched into an unknown world riddled with foreign terminology, the family's ‘normal’ would quickly change.

The fear of an unknown illness had its consequences on Millie-B’s once outgoing persona. As Dad told us, “Before her diagnosis she was really outgoing, going out with her friends and doing things. But since she had her diagnosis, because she was scared and because she didn't know what was happening, everything surrounding socialising got knocked back for her.”

Frequent hospital stays ripped Millie-B away from her two sisters, 17-year-old Maddison and 6-year-old Maci: “She’s incredibly close to her two sisters. Her condition has taken Millie-B away from the family when she’s been in hospital, she missed birthdays.”

In between hospital trips and undergoing various forms of treatment, Millie-B loves cooking, baking, walking her dog, and of course gaming.

“Gaming offered her a sense of escape. In the hospital she was at they had PlayStations and Xboxes to take her mind off everything. On her mobile phone, she was playing new games to pass the time.”

For the 14-year-old gamer, the expansive world of her favourite games allows her to take her mind off the harsh realities of her condition. As Dad told us, “Whenever she’s in pain and discomfort, gaming gives her a distraction.” So, for Millie-B there was no doubt in her mind that she would want a VR headset to play her favourite game, Five Nights at Freddies, for her wish.

Just days before Christmas, Millie-B’s dad received her headset, wrapping it up for the grand reveal on Christmas day: “We wrapped it all up the Friday before Christmas and wrote on the label wishes do come true! When she opened it on Christmas day she was over the moon!”

Putting the headset on and delving into the world of Five Nights at Freddie's, Millie-B-B's wish re-ignited her natural outgoing nature, reversing the impact that her diagnosis had on her confidence and happiness: “It brought her back to her old self. She’s so much more sociable and happier in herself.”

“A wish gives them something to look forward to,” said Dad as he explained why it’s so crucial for critically ill children to have a wish. “It made Millie-B feel like there is a community of people outside of her family and friends who are looking out for her”

When we asked what Dad would say to those who helped Millie-B’s wish become a reality, he said, “I’d want to hug them all! She's been through so much, seeing her face light up on Christmas day made the day so special for us. A big thank you to everyone who has donated to Make-A-Wish!”