Springfield 7-year-old is headed to Disney World thanks to Make-A-Wish

Seven-year-old Paul is going to Disney World.

The Springfield boy learned that his wish has been granted during the July 13 Ozarks Lunkers game when Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas made the announcement at half time. His wish is being granted in partnership with The Ozarks Lunkers, a professional indoor arena football team based in Springfield.

Paul was diagnosed with stage 3 chronic kidney disease at a young age. Growing up in foster care, Paul’s medical journey has been difficult and uncertain. (Make-A-Wish uses only first names of children and families it serves.)

After being adopted in 2017, the boy was referred to Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas.

"Paul's wish to go to Disney World is important because he has always believed that 'families take vacations,'" shared Julie, Paul’s mom. "In 2017, before we adopted Paul, we visited Florida and Disney World with our family and foster kids. Seeing photos from that trip, Paul was eager to make his own memories there. He watches YouTube videos of the park daily and dreams of wearing his cape and carrying his lightsaber.”

Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey. Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. More than 98% of medical providers have observed that the wish experience helps relieve families from the traumatic stress related to their child’s critical illness.

Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in the United States and in 50 countries worldwide.

The local chapter is headquartered in Ballwin, Missouri, and serves all counties in Missouri and Kansas. Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas has granted more than 10,000 wishes to date.

For more information about Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas visit wish.org/mokan or connect on Facebook (@MakeAWishMOKAN), Twitter (@MakeAWishMOKAN), Instagram (@makeawishmokan) and YouTube (Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas).

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Springfield 7-year-old is headed to Disney World thanks to Make-A-Wish