A Thoughtful Therapist and a Patient’s Dream Equals a Wish Come True

It was the typical Monday evening for pediatric therapy patient Shianne, a delightful pre-teen girl who was diagnosed with a form of congenital muscular dystrophy when she was ten. She meets with Sarah Prime, her Pediatric Physical Therapist and the Clinic Manager for Pediatric Outpatient Services at Butler Street a few times a week. They spend every Monday in the pool.

As usual, Shianne engaged “Mr. Andrew”, the pool manager, and Sarah in their usual fun game of “Would You Rather”. The three ask each other silly questions like “would you rather be a slug or a snail?”. This time, Shianne decided to mix things up and asked, “What’s your dream job?”. When it was her turn to answer, Shianne enthusiastically shared that she would love to train dolphins.

“That moment really stuck with me,” said Sarah. “Soon after, I asked her mom if I could nominate her for Make-A-Wish and she gave me the thumbs up. I nominated her that week.” Just a week later Sarah found out that Shianne was accepted and that her Wish Granters would be in touch.

Patti and Sue from the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s NH Chapter reached out a few months later and visited Shianne at her PT appointment. They spent some time getting to know Shianne and explored her top three “wishes”. Her dream wish was to go to Hawaii to swim with dolphins. “This wish felt so magical,” reflected Sarah. “It blends Shianne’s love for the water, where she can move her body by herself, with the opportunity to experience what it would be like to train dolphins.”

Northeast Rehab hosted a Hawaiian themed “wish reveal party” at the Butler St. Cafeteria. There, Shianne learned that her dream wish was granted! Through some thoughtful planning and Sarah’s collaboration with the Make A Wish Foundation, Shianne’s doctors cleared her to fly and she was off to Hawaii just a few months later.

“This is by far one of the best things I have done in my life. I am so happy I took the risk and nominated her,” said Sarah. “She is an amazing young lady and I’m so glad she was able to have this experience.”