Wish kid Jonalya might seem different from her fellow firefighters – perhaps because she’s about two feet shorter and wears a pink helmet. But the smiling, outgoing 7-year-old gushes with the same dedication to helping others as any full-sized firefighter.

Diagnosed with HIV, Jonalya wished to be a firefighter so she could save lives. The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Florida and Jewelers for Children had a burning desire to make Jonalya’s wish one to remember.

She started her wish experience by riding from her home to the nearby Hollywood Fire Station. The flashing lights and blaring sirens let everyone know this was no ordinary firefighting recruit, and no ordinary wish: It was the 6,000th wish in the history of the Southern Florida chapter, founded in 1983. When she arrived, her new colleagues decked her out in firefighting gear emblazoned with her name, including the pink fire helmet.

Greeted by applause from the entire engine company, Jonalya toured the firehouse with a huge smile on her face. But the station alarm cut the festivities short. Crews scrambled for their engines. Jonalya was already on her first call, which took her to a burning, smoke-filled “house.” Conquering her fears, she helped the crew rescue a stuffed Dalmatian from inside. Like any good firefighter, she adopted the Dalmatian as her mascot.

There was little rest for the new recruit before she was off again, this time climbing more than 100 feet into the air on the engine’s ladder and later dousing another blaze.

The fire battalion than hosted a lunch for Jonalya, including a special fire-inspired cake, to celebrate her life-saving exploits. During her limousine ride home, she told her family that her work was done: She’d saved a life.

Bopsy’s wish to be a firefighter was the first ever granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation after it was created in 1980. Jonalya’s wish recalls that memorable event in the Foundation’s history and the incredible dedication that firefighters around the country unfailingly show in helping grant a child’s fondest wish.

Jewelers for Children is a nonprofit organization created by the jewelry industry to raise money for children’s charities. Since 1999, JFC has helped the Make-A-Wish Foundation share the power of a wish^® by contributing funds to grant the wishes of more than 900 courageous children nationwide.