Make-A-Wish Minnesota: Granting Wishes for Children with Rare Diseases

2023-10-11 11:41:00

MINNEAPOLIS — As we kick off our Wishes in Flight miles drive in partnership with Make-A-Wish Minnesota, David Schuman introduces us to Cora Streifel, a little girl with a rare disease who just loves the water

Cora’s parents say sometimes she’ll watch an entire movie while walking on their treadmill. It wasn’t always a sure thing that she was going to walk at all.

“She’s nonverbal, and she has some limited use of her hands,” said father Kevin Streifel.

MORE: 13-year-old uses art to pay it forward to Make-A-Wish

The 10-year-old was diagnosed as a toddler with Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder.

“It’s pretty much if you would just take epilepsy, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s and autism and put them all in one kid,” said mother Amber Streifel.

Rett affects 1 in 10,000 children, mostly girls, and by complete coincidence, Cora’s younger cousin in Colorado has it, too.

Cora Streifel Streifel Family

“That was difficult, but yet she had a nice support system with us,” Amber said.

Now, the two families are preparing for the trip of their dreams. They’re going to the U.S. Virgin Islands in December, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“We’re really excited for the kind of quieter St. Thomas setting, but she’s definitely gonna be in the water most of the trip, I have a feeling,” Amber said.

The trip is a long-awaited one, too. They were initially supposed to travel in March 2020, but that obviously was not good timing. Make-A-Wish didn’t give up.

“They’ve just been working with us the whole time trying to figure out what Cora wants and what would be her most special gift and trip,” Kevin said.

It’s turning into a much-needed vacation for all,” Amber said.

Cora’s parents say clinical trials have shown promise for new treatments.

Make-A-Wish Minnesota tells us that 99% of doctors report that wishes help relieve traumatic stress for families.

You can help families like Cora’s get their wishes. All day Wednesday, WCCO is partnering with Make-A-Wish Minnesota for the Wishes in Flight airline miles drive. Click here to learn how easy it is to donate your miles.

David Schuman

David joined the WCCO team in April 2020, previously working at CBS 58 in Milwaukee. Prior to that, he worked in Las Vegas. While there, David covered several stories in the national spotlight, including the October 1 mass shooting and political visits from President Barack Obama and candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

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