Emma is a little girl with big dreams. Her life changed when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Instead of the usual concerns of a 10-year-old girl – Harry Potter, video games, Hanna Montana – she had to contend with the discomfort of chemotherapy and the distress of losing her hair.

Make-A-Wish^® volunteers learned that Emma had always dreamed of going on a cruise. Furthermore, she would love to go on a ship with water slides and a rock-climbing wall. And so, Emma and her family embarked on a cruise to Hawaii aboard the Royal Caribbean International^® ship Radiance of the Seas. They enjoyed visiting ports of call, and Emma spent her shipboard days climbing the rock wall and riding the water slide.

Emma’s wish experience gave her entire family a much needed break from hospital visits and treatments that had overshadowed her days. Now they share wonderful memories of their “cruise to Paradise.”