Wish ‘to meet Emma Watson’ comes true for Newry teen given 40% chance of survival

A Newry teenager who has volunteered at Make A Wish since 2020 urges others to volunteer at the charity to help fulfill the wishes of seriously ill children. In 2019 Make A Wish fulfilled Ryan Fitzgeralds' wish to meet Emma Watson after the teen endured more than a year of aggressive treatment for neuroblastoma. Ren was diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma in July 2018 when he was just 13 years old. A few days after the initial diagnosis the family was told that cancer had spread to Raines's bones and bone marrow. We were told the five-year survival rate was 40% Mary Claire's mother recalls. It was a complete shock. Treatment began immediately. Over the next 15 months, Ren underwent several cycles of chemotherapy a seven-hour surgery high dose chemotherapy with a stem cell transplant 14 days of radiotherapy, and 6 rounds of immunotherapy.

Amid this Wren was visited by Shane Coleman of Tyrone County who was a Make A Wish volunteer as a Wish Maker. I've been a Make A Wish volunteer since 2007 Shane said. I have visited more than 150 children like Rin who live in critical conditions to find out their wishes. I am committed to making children's dreams come true and will go to the utmost to ensure that no child is left without their wish. Raines's desire was to meet Emma Watson out of his love for Harry Potter and the actress's activism on climate change and feminism. Ren said I didn't really think it would happen but it did! A few months after completing the treatment Wren traveled with his sister and parents to London in December 2019 courtesy of Make A Wish to meet with Emma for afternoon tea at the Haymarket Hotel.

He was very nice Ren recalls. I had a whole book of questions and they were all answered! He even recorded a message for my friends. It was so exciting to meet and talk to one of my idols in person. A few months later Shane Coleman called the family again to ask Rin if hed like to join him as a volunteer at Make A Wish. Wren has been invited to represent Northern Ireland as part of Make A Wish STAR Board the charity's Children and Youth Council set up in May 2020 to help Make A Wish truly child-led in its decision industry. Emma Visor Volunteer Engagement Leader at Make A Wish said Our vision is a world where the wishes of every child in critical condition come true and volunteer like Shane and Ren are critical to making that vision a reality. But with more than 60000 children in the UK Currently eligible for a wish we urgently need more volunteers to help fulfill the wishes of children like Rin who have suffered so much. This Make A Wish Volunteer Week invites volunteers across Northern Ireland to take on roles she says are essential to making wishes come true.

Being at STAR Board showed me how much work it takes to make incredible dreams come true and how important volunteers are said, Raine. Even when I was really frustrated Shin made the idea of ​​making my wish come true very exciting. You could tell he really cared. Ms. Vizor added Doing your time is as powerful an impact on the realization of our vision as making donations and fundraising. By visiting www. make a wish.org.uk/volunteer and joining our community you can make a direct wish for a seriously ill child like Wren. Ren 16 gets checked every three months and receives occasional blood treatments but now he can look to the future. I want to go to Queens University Belfast to study creative writing said, Wren. This is now my greatest wish!