Make-A-Wish Malaysia, a non-profit organisation dedicated to fulfilling the wishes of children aged 3 to 18 with critical illnesses, has celebrated its 1000th wish milestone.
In partnership with Sunway Malls & Theme Parks, the organisation granted the 1000th wish to nine-year-old Ayra Medina, a neuroblastoma patient. Members of the public and donors were invited to the "Pearl of Hope: A Royal Celebration," where they witnessed Ayra's dream of becoming a Mermaid Princess and participated in her wish-granting journey.
Ayra's journey began with a royal coronation at Pink Island in Sunway Lagoon, where she was ceremoniously crowned by the Princess of Selangor, YAM Tengku Datin Paduka Setia Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who is also the Royal Patron of Make-A-Wish Malaysia. She was then presented with an official pearl sceptre by Mr. Calvin Ho, Executive Director of Sunway Theme Parks, to complete her coronation.
To fulfil her wish and complete her transformation into a Mermaid Princess, Ayra headed to the Surf Beach pool, where she donned her mermaid tail and wetsuit. There, she met other life-sized mermaids who were waiting to join her in the water and participated in a seashell hunting activity.
As part of the 1000th wish celebration milestone, guests in attendance were invited to explore activities inspired by Ayra’s dream of being a Mermaid Princess. They enjoyed a royal mermaid makeover, complete with face painting and hair styling, and posed with their most creative mermaid poses at the curated Underwater Selfie photo corner. Attendees also got to enjoy the Mermaid-themed cupcakes.
“At Make-A-Wish Malaysia, we are deeply grateful for the unwavering support of our donors and partners, which has enabled us to grant 1000 wishes. We strive to give back to the community by sharing the joy and power of a wish to critically ill children worldwide through this “Pearl of Hope: A Royal celebration.
"We hope this celebration will inspire Malaysians to become their own pearls of hope, helping us to grant the next 1000 wishes,” said Irene Tan, CEO of Make-A-Wish Malaysia.
“We congratulate Make-A-Wish Malaysia on reaching their 1,000th wish-grant milestone. On behalf of Sunway Malls & Theme Parks, we are honoured to make Ayra’s dream a reality, here at Sunway Lagoon. We hope this magical experience creates lasting memories for Ayra and her family,” said Calvin Ho, Executive Director of Sunway Theme Parks. Ayra’s father, Encik Muhammad Fizrullah, expressed his gratitude to both Make-A-Wish Malaysia and Sunway Malls & Theme Parks for their support, saying, “As a parent, seeing Ayra laugh and be a child again is an indescribable joy. The happiness on Ayra’s face when she was crowned a Mermaid Princess is a memory our family will cherish forever.
"We are deeply grateful to Make-A-Wish Malaysia and Sunway Malls & Theme Parks for their kindness and dedication. This wish-granting experience has brought so much courage to Ayra and given us all a renewed sense of hope and strength.”
To complete the wish on a high note and make her experience even sweeter, Ayra and her family were treated to a stay fit for mermaid princess royalty at the Sunway Resort Hotel, which offers great views of Sunway Lagoon.
This special arrangement was made by Sunway Malls & Theme Parks in partnership with Sunway Resort Hotel following the celebration!
