The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
THE POPE’S BLESSING
Make-A-Wish, St. Clements founder helping send girl to Rome
PORTLAND — A 10-year-old girl’s desire to travel to Rome and be blessed by Pope Francis was granted Wednesday during a moving gathering at St. Clements Castle.
Fernando and Mayra Zhanay, of Stratford, along with their daughter Brianna, older sons Peter and Gabriel, and many other relatives celebrated their impending trip, made possible through a $10,000 donation from St. Clements Castle/ Roncalli Charities founder and owner Edward C. Doherty and Make-A-Wish Connecticut.
Brianna, who has Down syndrome and epilepsy, and is nonverbal, will leave for a weeklong stay in Italy May 20 with her parents. She was dressed up Wednesday morning in a sparkly black dress with white tights, with her raven hair carefully braided. She sat on her mother’s lap, seemingly a little overwhelmed by the attention she received from about 25 people gathered in the dining room.
Before the celebration, staff prepared Brianna a special bowl of pureed fresh strawberries.
“We were afraid to ask if we
could go to see the Pope because we thought it was impossible. It is so far away,” said Fernando Zhanay, who believed the Trumbull-based charity wouldn’t be able to make arrangements for him, his wife and daughter to travel outside the country.
In January, when he was told by Make-A-Wish staff there was a waiting list of a year or more, he and his wife, who are devout Catholics, weren’t ready to abandon hope, said Fernando Zhanay, who came to America at 23 from Ecuador.
That changed in April with a simple phone call his wife got.
“Then, one day I came home, she was crying, was laughing, and said, ‘I’ve got to tell you something.’”
The impossible seemed ready to become real: There had been a cancellation and the family had been moved up on the list.
Patty Frering, volunteer wish granter, said about half the requests she handles are for children who want to visit Disney. Already, during her time volunteering for the nonprofit, she has helped make 50 wishes come to fruition for children with terminal conditions.
“There have been other requests for Rome to meet the Pope, but I’ve never had one. It’s fabulous. You’re not really sure what MakeA-Wish is able to do.”
The charity works to creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. “We are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey,” according to the website.
Every two weeks, a newsletter is published with the children’s names and ages, so wish granters, as they are called, can pick a recipient based on where the child lives and his or her diagnosis. Frering worked with a translator to speak with Brianna’s parents and make arrangements to meet.
“We had a lot of laughs. Dad is actually funny. We found out what her true wish was,” Frering said. “This was a beautiful wish,” she said, choking up.
“Her doctor gave her a thumbs-up to travel.”
Her family will be receiving tickets to attend a papal visit May 23, followed by several days sightseeing in Rome and the surrounding area.
“It’s a public viewing. It’s a special area where she’ll be closer to the Pope,” said Barbara Vincent, Make-AWish wish manager. Pope Francis offers such blessings every Wednesday to a large group of people. Afterward, some, like Brianna, will go inside to have a special benediction amid a smaller, more intimate audience.
“The Pope, like anyone else of his stature, you never know what’s going to happen with his schedule, so we try to be open about what will actually happen,” Vincent said.
“We have another wish. We want to go back in December,” Fernando Zhanay joked during a break in the proceedings. The family are parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo Church in Bridgeport.
“I received three signs from the Virgin Mary,” Mayra Zhanay said, as she showed photographs she had taken on her smartphone. The first happened when Brianna was just 2 months old.
“I felt (God’s) hand on my shoulder,” she said. “Everybody told me the Virgin Mary likes red candles,” so she set some up at her house. “When I looked at the candle the next day, I saw this image,” Mayra Zhanay said, revealing a picture of the top of a melted candle with an image resembling the Virgin Mary in black.
The second sign was on a white blanket the family placed on top of the Virgin Mary statue to move it.
“It was an accident,” her father said. While he was walking with the burning candle, it was leaking melted wax. “All of the wax went into the blanket,” he said, pointing out a photograph of a white shroud with what appeared to be the outline of a woman’s figure.
“It’s very magical that our community has come together to give this gift to us. It is so wonderful,” said Brianna’s adult brother Gabriel Zhanay, who lives with his brother Peter in New York.
“He doesn’t come from a traditional college background, he’s worked very hard his whole life,” Gabriel Zhanay explained about his father. “These blessings are just amazing, because all of us go through hardships, and seeing these moments all together is truly wonderful.”
“Every time she gets better and takes three steps forward, she has a seizure, and then takes one step back,” Peter Zhanay said. “It’s always the constant attention, the constant love that she’s getting from everyone helps her move forward.”
Seminarian Alexis Barreto delivered a touching rendition of “Ave Maria” in Spanish and “How Great Thou Art,” which brought tears to the eyes of many in attendance.
Barreto is a student of the Catholic Church priesthood who attends Holy Apostles Seminary in Cromwell. As he prepared to sing without musical accompaniment, he added, “Sometimes I do better a cappella,” with a big grin. “I’m always happy if I have to sing. To gather together to do good things out of charity for others is a great, great way to spend your life.”
“I’m very lucky to have my baby. She’s very blessed,” her mother said.
For information on Make-A-Wish Connecticut, visit ct.wish.org.