Ciara Allan has had a tough start to life. At the age of three she suffered a stroke and was diagnosed with a brain tumour that left her temporarily paralysed, so she had to learn to walk and talk again.
Now 13-years-old, Ciara has been bravely battling her illness for the past ten years, enduring a series of treatments that included three major brain surgeries and a spell of Proton Beam Therapy in the USA.
In 2013, the Make-A-Wish Foundation – the international charity that grants the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions – filled Ciara’s wish to visit Disney World.
She has to undergo MRI scans every three months, but Ciara is now well enough to attend Raha International School in Khalifa City A – and she has decided to help others; a recent bake sale she organised at her school raised AED 1,400 for Make-A-Wish UAE.
“Going to Disney World helped me feel so much better,” she told Abu Dhabi Week. “I will never forget it, so I decided to organise this bake sale so that other children could have the same experience.”
Despite her struggles, this brave teenager has a very bright outlook on life.
“My tumour will probably never go away – it even may grow again,” Ciara said. “But I will continue to stay positive.
“Even if in life something happens to you, you should try your best to help others,” she added.
“Ciara is a previous Wish Kid and knows exactly how much a wish means to a kid who is fighting an illness,” said Melanie Raymer, Marketing & Communications Manager, Make-A-Wish Foundation UAE. “She is overcoming her battle and this can give such hope and strength to other children fighting an illness.
“She is such a role model and we are very proud of her working to make a difference in other kids’ lives.”
Such a brave girl! Is there any way I can support her?
Please let me know.
Thank you!