Jasmine is just like most five-year-old girls.
She likes dressing up, everything that’s pink and believes in fairytales, like Cinderella, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. Jasmine looks like the princesses in the storybooks too – long, blond hair, rosy cheeks and huge, twinkling eyes. But unlike most five-year-olds, Jasmine was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumour (a rare form of cancer) at just 16 months old. She has been fighting for her life ever since. And while she underwent intensive and arduous operations and seven months of chemotherapy, the only wish she had was that she would get better so she could be a real princess one day.
Do you ever pinch yourself about how lucky you are? I don’t nearly enough. There is something about that sharp reminder in the pinch of your own skin that wakes you up to count your blessings. It’s very easy to get bogged down in day-to-day inconveniences and turn them into high-drama situations. Small, petty things loom large in the stress and bustle of everyday life but that is all they are – small, petty and everyday. The big, serious and random – like what happened to little Jasmine and her family – is what is truly unfair and cruel. But it also underlines what is really important – love, family, friendship, health, happiness, peace and children.
Jasmine’s simple wish came true last year in the most elaborate of fashions, courtesy of a real-life fairy godmother. Make-A-Wish® Australia created a dream day for Jasmine, complete with ball gowns, castles and horse-drawn carriages. A special escape for her family and friends, where they were able to leave the hospital and sickness behind and focus instead on the laughter and happiness of their little girl. Jasmine is now in remission.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is an international charity dedicated to granting the wishes of children with terminal or life-threatening illnesses. From meeting a dinosaur to starring in a movie, no wish is too crazy, too hard or too big, and Make-A-Wish works tirelessly (5600 wishes have been granted in Australia) to create an extra special moment in the lives of its brave beneficiaries.
This month, we would like you to join us in raising much-needed funds for Make-A-Wish Australia. Inspired by Jasmine’s story, we collaborated with illustrator Rebecca Wetzler and photographer Nick Scott in Happily Ever After … and turned our favourite princesses into modern-day fairytale art for your home, your office, your daughters’ nursery ...
All the pictures you see can be purchased, starting from just $50 plus $6.70 postage for one A4 print on canvas – to order,
click here.
All profits from the sale of these canvases will go straight to Make-A-Wish Australia. When our advertising partner, Magnum ice-creams, found out about this campaign, they pledged to match the amount madison readers raise. We were so touched by their spirit, that madison is going to do the same. I hope you love our “art with heart” and it inspires you to dream, no matter what your age or circumstance. Every girl deserves to be a princess – if only for a day.