Hockridge has Make-a-wish granted to visit Dubai
Amisha Hockridge was surprised to learn the Make-awish Foundation granted her first choice wish of a family trip to Dubai.
Shortly after the end of the school year, the Hockridge family boarded a plane in Calgary to begin a 16-hour flight to the Middle East. Dubai boasts a population of over three million people, and the city skyline is dominated by a 160 story skyscraper (Burj
Khalifa). The city boasts luxury shopping and draws over 14 million visitors annually.
Her surprise was unveiled during a Wish Reveal Party on
June 21, where she was surrounded by family and friends for the official announcement of her wish.
“I opened the envelope and I couldn’t even read the tickets,”
Amisha said of the overwhelming emotions while trying to read the travel itinerary the night of the Reveal Party.
Her second and third options were a Disney Cruise or a trip to Hawaii, but she was thrilled to have a chance to visit Dubai.
“I know that Dubai has the world’s largest shopping mall,” she chuckled. “And I wanted to ride a camel and dune buggies.
And there’s a shark waterslide that I want to go on.”
As an added bonus to her
Make-a-wish trip, the family will enjoy a 24 hour layover in
Paris which will allow them to briefly see the highlights of the capital of France. They planned to see the Mona Lisa in The
Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
“Before I even knew that it was in my trip, I wanted to go to Paris because I’ve always wanted to go there.”
Amisha was accompanied on the seven day trip by parents Mike and Veena Hockridge, along with brother
Krishin Hockridge. They flew from Calgary to Paris on Saturday, July 6, and after a 24 hour stop in Paris on Sunday, they completed the flight from Paris to Dubai on Monday, July 8.
Amisha’s dream trip is a far cry from the ongoing appointments to doctors and specialists and extensive hospital stays while she deals with the complications of being born with Microtia, a rare condition where she was born without an outer and middle right ear. And while that condition impacts one out of 10,000 children, she was among the one in 8,000 who develop more serious complications. As a result she has now had a total of 14 surgeries on her ear, kidneys, spine, and bowel as she continues to deal with a host of additional medical issues.
And while the Make-a-wish opportunity provides a brief reprieve from her medical journey, she will quickly be back in specialist offices.
After she appears in the
K-days parade in Edmonton aboard the Make-a-wish
Foundation float, Amisha will then gear up for a trip to see a specialist at the Ohio Children’s Hospital in advance of her 15th surgery. She will be having a bowel surgery which is intended to eliminate the need for frequent hospitalizations when her bowel becomes problematic.
To help meet the financial needs of this surgical procedure the family is inviting supporters to donate to “The
Amisha Hockridge Medical
Trust Fund” at the Innovation
Credit Union or by making a donation towards flights to
Ohio through Marlin Travel in
Swift Current.