Meet Our Wish Kids

Avril is Zookeeper for a Day as the Metro New York Chapter Celebrates its 5000th Wish!

December 16, 2003, was a brisk, sunny day in New York City. It was especially sunny for 8-year-old, Avril, of Manhattan, who will remember it as the day her wish came true and for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York which marked that day with its 5000th wish granted.

Diagnosed with leukemia in 2001, Avril completed chemotherapy in August and was ready to think about happy adventures. A girl who enjoys indoor and outdoor activities, she is a lover of animals – especially dogs, horses, and frogs. In fact, she would love to have her own horse one day. But first, she wanted to connect with the many animals she knows about – not just by reading about them or seeing them from a distance. Avril's wish was to meet animals up close – to see the colors of their eyes and touch their fur or feathers.

The Bronx Zoo was the perfect place to fulfill her wish. Here, Avril became Honorary Zookeeper for a day. And, as a preamble preamble to her full-day experience, on November 21, with the assistance of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Avril flipped the switch for the Bronx Zoo's Holiday Lights.

Accompanying Avril on her wish adventure were her mother, Beth; her sister, Meryl; her brother, Jarrod; and her best friend, Sophie – animal lovers all.

Avril's wish day began with a visit to the zoo's education department where zookeepers supervised the hands-on experiences Avril and her entourage enjoyed: they checked out Lily, a silvery-cheeked hornbill bird from Africa; Avril held and nuzzled Vada, a fennec fox; and they fed Frankie, the two-toed sloth, and Sam, the tortoise. But the highlight was visiting a wallaby named Nachman who snacked on whipped cream. The children listened to Nachman stories as they browsed through photo albums documenting his growth. In the bird area, they fed penguins and Avril took on the role of medic as she applied a special cream to a flamingo's sore, cracked feet. In the new Tiger Mountain exhibit, Avril and her crew played tug of war with Taurus, a 300 pound Siberian tiger cub. Holding the rope in his teeth (and with a secure barrier between them), Taurus showed Avril the mighty power of a tiger cub. And, thanks to an observant fulltime zookeeper, Avril now has one of Taurus's whiskers – a rare find and a great wish memory.

Following lunch, Avril and her crew received official Bronx Zoo honorary zookeeper credentials – appropriate recognition of these Wildlife Conservation Society members who take their responsibilities seriously as evidenced by the pocketful of quarters Jarrod brought for donation to the endangered species. Assessing the experience as she headed for the limousine that would take her home, Avril said, “It was really cool! I got to see all these really cool animals and take care of them.” But the perfect end to the day occurred when Avril opened the door of the limousine and saw the many, many stuffed zoo animals that stared back at her. Shrieks and squeals of joy erupted. "My heart is full," Avril's mom noted. “She has been through so much and it’s nice to have a break from all that to do something that means so much to her.” The Make-A-Wish® staff knew that Avril's wish would live on as Avril nurtured her own zoo at home. Avril said, “It was really cool! I got to see all these really cool animals and take care of them.” But the perfect end to the day occurred when Avril opened the door of the limousine and saw the many, many stuffed zoo animals that stared back at her. Shrieks and squeals of joy erupted. "My heart is full," Avril's mom noted. “She has been through so much and it’s nice to have a break from all that to do something that means so much to her.” The Make-A-Wish® staff knew that Avril's wish would live on as Avril nurtured her own zoo at home.