MOSES LAKE, Wash – Sitting inside the walls of a hospital far too often for a 4-year-old, Hazel Ornelas spent lots of time dreaming.
Her mom, Larisa Ornelas, learned of her daughter’s life-threatening metabolic disorder shortly after she was born.
“She’s gone through so much since two days old,” Larisa said.
The family has traveled from Moses Lake to Spokane and eventually Seattle to seek treatment for Hazel’s diagnosis, which has caused physical and developmental delays.
“She didn’t remember a lot back then too because she had a lot of setbacks from high ammonia episodes which cause brain damage,” her mom explained.
But there was one place Hazel always remembered, and that inspired Larisa to start dreaming too.
“Mom, I love the beach, I love the beach, and that was the only thing that she truly remembered, was the beach,” Larisa smiled as she recalled.
Larisa started writing about Hazel’s magical wish, to go someplace warm and swim with a real mermaid. She sent that letter, filled with a mother’s hope, to Make-A-Wish.
Her husband, Henry Ornelas, said it didn’t take long for his wife to get a response.
“She started telling me oh I’m getting emails back, and oh they want to know more, and they’re asking more about Hazel,” he remembered.
Just thinking about that initial correspondence with the team at Make-A-Wish brought Henry to tears.
“Even that part for our family. Having people to reach out to, that care, that means a lot,” he said.
With suitcases packed, the whole family including Hazel’s two older brothers, boarded an airplane to Hawaii and the magic began to unfold.
When they arrived in Hawaii Hazel received a beautiful flower necklace and walked through the hotel to a private pool. As she rounded the corner, Hazel met eyes with the magical mermaid she had dreamed of back home in the hospital.
“Mermaid Mariah,” Hazel said.
This little girl, who had spent so much of her life being careful, being monitored, being isolated, surprised her parents.
She jumped into the pool, for the first time, and swam under the glittering water hand in hand with her mermaid friend.
“All of us lost it,” Larisa said. “I think it was just surreal to me to see it really happen.”
“To not have any of those concerns, to not have anything to worry about other than seeing everyone smile,” Henry said, his voice full of love.
The Make-A-Wish experience gave the Ornelas family something priceless. Their trip was a chance to just be a family, to watch their little girl be fearless and free, to create memories that will carry them through whatever comes next.
With 75% of wishes requiring flight, airline tickets are the Make-A-Wish organization’s single largest expense. You can help keep the cost of wishes down by donating your airline miles. It’s a great way to ensure your miles never expire and go to good use! Make wishes take flight with your donation of miles or cash.
To donate, click here.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
