Wish:
To see the sea and beaches
Sofinka is a young school-age girl with a rare metabolic disorder and multiple disabilities. Wheelchair-bound, her condition leads, among other things, to delayed development and limited communication – Sofinka uses gestures, sign language and a tablet communicator to communicate with the world around her.
Putting the wish down in words:
The meeting took place at Sofinka’s home, where we were greeted by an incredibly optimistic and always smiling young lady. Almost all her limbs are paralyzed and she only uses her left hand, which is fortunately still partially mobile, to operate the tablet. But she controls it with the precision of a surgeon! She was able to answer all of our questions, tell us about her day with pictures, what she was doing, and we learned that her favourite food is loads of French fries. And the only thing better than a big pile of fries are two big piles of fries. Sofinka is very clever and she was able to tell us her wish – she wants to experience an adventure, to fly somewhere, enjoy the swimming and the warmth of a beach. She has never been to a place like that before, but she loves watching documentaries on nature and traveling and would like to experience something similar. I myself was surprised at how well the pictograms on the communicator could be used to communicate. And where a pre-set image was missing, good old Google helped. In fact, I think it beautifully captured everything you would expect from such a peaceful holiday. We also asked her what kind of animals she would like to see at the zoo – she said dolphins, as she loves them. And did she want to pet them? No, absolutely not! She said they were too big for her, she just wanted to look at them, wave at them and sniff them. During the last meeting, Sofinka told Goldfish about this wish – written in the exact order in which she had chosen the pictograms.
Granting the wish:
Sofinka’s main wish was to go to the beach and have a real holiday. Her mother and two older sisters would travel with her to the beach. The family does not travel much, so the services of a seconded delegate would be a good idea. Although Sofinka didn’t specify exactly which country she wanted to fly to, and we had a number of European destinations to choose from, it wasn’t easy. We needed to find a hotel that had everything that Sofinka wanted (sandy beach, wheelchair-accessible pool, larger hotel and a zoo nearby), but also a room big enough to accommodate a wheelchair with a bath in the bathroom.
With the help of the Canaria travel agency, we managed to select the H10 Costa Adeje Palace hotel at Tenerife, which met all our needs. In the end, we opted for a combination of two rooms, which was more favourable than one large apartment and provided a little more privacy for the teenage sisters. In addition, the travel agency was kind enough to arrange a special transfer for Sofinka to the hotel – mainly because of her wheelchair, so that her mother and siblings would not have to struggle to get her on the bus. They also added a free trip to the LORO Park, where Sofinka was about to see parrots and dolphins, as she also wanted to visit a zoo.
And how was the holiday?
The first thing the smiling dreamer received from Golden Fish was, of course, a letter written by its own fins. Her mum had to read the story in the letter, but Sofinka could already guess by pictures that the Goldfish had done everything it could and that her wish would come true. Her joy was boundless and her sisters immediately started planning what to pack. All the important information was passed on so that the family knew what to expect on the trip, what to take with them and what the trip would actually look like.
Sofinka’s mother conscientiously kept sending photos of their week-long stay and described their experiences. They were all excited, and the very moment they arrived, they all had to go to the sea and taste the water to see if it was really salty. Sofinka enjoyed swimming in the salt water so much that she didn’t want to get out even when her fingers were wrinkled from the water. Her mother says that’s a big deal, because at home, as soon as her fingers start to wrinkle a little in the bath, the wet fun is over and she wants to get out immediately.
The Canary Islands are said to be a paradise for wheelchair users. Sofinka had every wish she could think of fulfilled, and she even experienced a summer holiday love. The waiter serving their lunches was the chosen one. She couldn’t take her eyes off him, and when he brought out her beloved French fries, she deliberately threw her fork on the ground so he could hand it back to her. Well, times haven’t changed much since ladies used to drop handkerchiefs on the floor as a sign of interest.
Finally, the family went to the LORO park, which they were all looking forward to. They booked their seats for the dolphin show with the travel agency and even had the chance to go backstage and feed the dolphins. During the initial meeting, Sofinka said she wasn’t that interested in dolphins and found them too big, but when she met them face to face, she immediately changed her mind. Dolphins are now at the top of the list of her favourite animals. Everything went smoothly, the delays were just acceptable and Sofinka declared her wish fulfilled. Her mother thanked us many times and shared with us that it was a dream come true for her as well. With Sofinka being sometimes looked after by her older siblings, her mother finally had some time to relax. She said she hadn’t realised that she had no time off since Sofinka was born.
