‘It really feels like an abundant gift’: Make-a-Wish Georgia grants wish for a 7-year-old’s birthday

COLUMBUS, Ga. (WTVM) - One Columbus family is headed to Orlando, Florida next week to make one 7-year-old’s wish come true.

Thanks to Make-A-Wish Georgia and community partners, a soon to be 8-year-old was thrown a birthday party that she will never forget.

For Bethel Price’s 8th birthday, she’s going to Walt Disney World and she can’t wait. This Make-A-Wish Georgia Wish kid is not just special, she’s a fighter living with a heart condition.

It was a double celebration for 7-year-old Bethel Price Wednesday; an early celebration for her 8th birthday and her “Wish” day.

“I’ve never been and people said that it was really fun, so I wanted to go,” said Bethel. “I’m also excited to have tons of time with my family.”

The Bluey themed birthday party at Christ Community Church was a full circle moment for the Price family.

“We actually celebrated Bethel’s first birthday here. We found out when Holly was pregnant with Bethel she had a congenital heart defect and we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to meet her, we were. During that pregnancy, we had so many people come around and support us, so we celebrated her 1st birthday here by feeding everybody and just celebrating her life. Today, we came back to celebrate her 8th birthday and Make-a-Wish Georgia was so kind enough to join us with a celebration,” says Gil Price, Bethel’s father.

Bethel’s unforgettable present is made possible through Make-A-Wish Georgia and trip sponsor, Shelby and Wanda Amos foundation. Her mother Holly says it’s a blessing.

“It feels like abundant gift, I just remember telling Gill, this is lavish to be able to go on a family vacation like this so we’re just really grateful, we’re really really grateful and humbled that they [Make-A-Wish Georgia] care for families like ours,” says Holly Price, Bethel’s mother.

Bethel is the first of 14 children who have been sponsored to go on their wish this year from the Columbus area because of the Shelby and Wanda Amos Foundation.

Wanda Amos says before her husband, Shelby, passed in December they reminisced on things they were able to enjoy and said they have to pay that forward.

“I went to the hospital and I told Shelby ‘look at this list, we’ve got to pick two children and he looked at me and he looked at the list and he said, ‘you know we’re not picking two children, I know what you were thinking when you came in here, we’re taking all 14′ and I’m like ‘well, yeah that’s what I wanted to do,’ and that’s what we did.

Amos adds being a part of Bethel’s Wish Day Birthday party was priceless.

“To grant a wish for a child and to see Bethel smile, you can’t put a price on that,” said Amos.

Make-A-Wish Georgia granted 477 wishes in Georgia last year. CEO Tim Earley says what the organization does is magical.

“A wish is not a consolation prize because you got sick, it’s so much more than that. I think when I first started with the organization I thought well this is a really nice thing that we could do for a sick child and their families, but it only takes one experience with one wish and it changes everything because you see that change and you see the impact on that it has on a family, the wish kid, and the entire community and it’s really magical,” said Earley.

Make-A-Wish Georgia is on track of reaching their goal to grant 500 wishes this year. To find out how you can help, click here.