PHOTOS: Walt Disney World and Make-A-Wish Grant 150,000th Wish Together

On World Wish Day (April 29, 2023), Walt Disney World Resort and Make-A-Wish America granted the 150,000th Disney-inspired wish to 16-year-old Mikayla from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida who began her battle fighting cancer three years ago.

“This is an incredible milestone moment in our more than 40-year relationship with Disney,” said Leslie Motter, Make-A-Wish America President and CEO. “We know that wishes have the transformative power to renew hope, uplift spirits and unite families. When you pair that with Disney stories, characters and experiences, lives are forever changed thanks to the unmatched joy that’s delivered when it’s needed most.”

Mikayla and her family were surprised with being Grand Marshals during the Festival of Fantasy Parade at Magic Kingdom Park, where they helped reveal Disney’s newly redesigned specialty Florida license plate benefitting Make-A-Wish children and families throughout the state.

As “the most magical license plate on earth,” more than $1.5 million has been raised so far for Make-A-Wish Central and Northern Florida through sales of the Disney plate. This new design is the second edition of the plate, coming soon for Florida drivers.

Disney also shared an extra surprise with Mikayla – something unique to her only offered on a very special occasion like this. To mark the historic milestone, Mikayla and her family were given the exclusive opportunity to enjoy an overnight stay in the Cinderella Castle Suite, and as many Disney fans know, a stay in the suite is not typical, even for Make-A-Wish families.

“We are so thrilled that Mikayla is able to have this opportunity to celebrate the journey that she’s been on,” said Mikayla’s mom. “You never anticipate they [your children] are going to experience a life-threatening situation, but it’s been amazing to see how much good can come from something bad. We get to create these wonderful new memories together and not focus on the ones that maybe weren’t so pretty.”

Mikayla is also an aspiring singer with dreams of one day performing at Disney, so Disney is planning a royal performance for her later this summer that will top off this 150,000th wish in an unforgettable way.

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PHOTO: © Walt Disney World Resort. All Rights Reserved.