The strength of one mother, 150 masks of Disney and Marvel heroes from the association “The Band of Minnie and Mickey Mouse” and the big heart of many people from Puglia made it possible to fulfill the great desire of Ivan a little warrior.
Ivan with his family and his mascots
Ivan, 7 years old, like so many children his age, he has a dream in his drawer: Visit Disneyland meet the animated heroes of his life. And his family was ready to grant his wish. But a bad disease Ewing’s sarcoma, discarded plans.
Over the past three years, Ivan has undergone many harsh treatments: multiple rounds of chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, radiation therapy, and an 18-hour cranial surgery. Unfortunately, the treatments did not lead to the desired effects and his condition has suddenly deteriorated so much in the last few days that it is actually impossible to undertake such a long journey.
And then it was Disneyland that “moved” to the square of Montalbano in Puglia. The love of his mother Marilena, thanks to the idea of her friend Annapermitted with the help of the association Fasano “The Band of Minnie and Mickey Mouse”– which, since 2012, has been carrying out various projects in the oncological and pediatric hospitals of the region – together with the help of other local associations, to turn a seemingly unattainable desire into reality.
Elena Del Pozzo’s funeral in Catania, the coffin of the child killed by her mother, was greeted with applause
People flocked to the club’s headquarters to pick up the costumes
In a few hours, all of Apulia will respond to the call on social media
As Ivan’s condition worsened, his mother, Marilena, thought of a way to fulfill the promise she had made to her son: take him to Disneyland. If it is not possible to go to Paris, the Disney heroes will come for a day to populate Montalbano square. Only a few hours to organize this appointment with the active support of the association “The Band of Minnie and Mickey Mouse”.
This appeal went straight to the heart Hundreds of Puglians who have contacted the organizers to show their availability. “Only” 150 participants were needed, but there were hundreds of applications for membership. Many have suggested supporting the volunteers’ transport with their own funds, providing cold drinks to give a little ‘change’ in the scorching summer heat, or contributing to the cost of washing costumes in industrial laundries.
“They called us from all over Puglia. The love of the people has exceeded all expectations, ”the club’s president confided to the microphones of Fanpage.it Ilaria Sardellaand admitted that he never thought they could organize the initiative in a matter of hours.
Piazza della Libertà – Montalbano
Ivan’s mother: Ever since he was little, Disneyland has been his dream
“We had planned for a long time to take Ivan to Disneyland. This has always been his dream since he was a kid. At night he often asked me to see the characters’ photos on Google and we had contacted the Make a Wish association, which helps cancer children achieve their dreams by offering health support during the trip,” Ivan’s mother explained to Fanpage.it … But disagreement among the doctors about whether to embark on such a long journey forced the family to give up.
“At first we got angry, but then we thought about it and accepted the decision, because bearing a child with an advanced illness becomes much more difficult.” But Marilena did not give up. He had to fulfill his son’s first and only wish. In just a few hours, a solidarity machine was set in motion, allowing the most important and popular Disney characters to “parade” across the square. Montalbano. “Love breeds love,” Ivan’s family repeats.
Ivan shakes Mickey’s hand
Few would have bet on it, but Marilena’s great courage and the hearts of many commoners bestowed a dream of an early summer night on a child who deserved to dream long.