By Khalida Sarwari
What do you do with the key to the castle when you’re not using it? If you’re Christina Cruz, you keep the key secured in a box in your room.
That’s what the 11-year-old did upon returning to her home in Hemet after a fun-packed trip to the Bay Area that included a stop at the Montalvo Arts Center befitting a visit by a princess.
Christina and Madison Mendes, 8, were treated to a royal morning at Montalvo on June 10 courtesy of the Kids Wish Network, a national charity that grants wishes to children suffering from life-threatening conditions.
Christina was diagnosed at age 5 with stage four medulloblastoma, a fast-growing and high-grade tumor located in her cerebellum. The tumor and treatments have left Christina with residual side effects, one of which is sleep apnea, a disorder that requires her to use a sleeping machine at night.
Maddy suffers from a double autoimmune disorder that puts her at risk for stroke, heart disease, kidney disease and amputation. She underwent surgery at the age of 2 after suffering from vesicoureteral reflux, the backward flow of urine from the bladder into the kidneys. She was later diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, Celiac disease and gastroparesis.
Their debilitating illnesses and dreams of becoming princesses piqued the attention of the Kids Wish Network. The organization granted their wishes to be princesses for a day by flying them over from Southern California to the Bay Area for a four-day visit.
The royal treatment started from the moment the girls set foot in the Villa. Decked in white princess dresses, the girls arrived in style by limousine and were promptly greeted by Montalvo staff.
They were first treated to a performance of harp music before doing a photo shoot. Leah Ammon, an associate director of marketing and communications at Montalvo, took the girls on a tour of the grounds and then led the girls to an art-making activity where they got to create their own crowns. The visit concluded with a lunch consisting of pasta, chicken, and raspberry chocolate cake, and the girls were bid farewell with a parting gift package that included a cookbook, princess towel and bracelet and necklace. They were also given a “key” to the castle to return any time they wanted.
“It just was so lovely to be a part of making their dreams come true for a morning,” said Ammon. She said the art center was contacted by the Kids Wish Network to make the day happen for the girls.
“Who could possibly say no to that?” she said. “It’s an opportunity to do something kind of meaningful, and it was really something we didn’t think twice about. We were so touched by the girls’ stories and wanted to help in any way that we could.”
Christina said her favorite part of the visit was the tour of the gardens.
“It was beautiful,” she said.
The rest of the trip for Christina and her family was spent visiting museums, such as Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, and dining at restaurants like the Rainforest Cafe and Hard Rock Cafe. It also included a trip to the San Francisco Zoo, where Christina got to pet a koala named Austin.
“He felt like a blanket,” she said.
Her mother, Barbara Luna, said it was great to see her daughter so happy after undergoing years of chemotherapy and radiation.
“It was her dream forever; since she was little she [has been] asking for that,” said Luna.
So why did she make this particular wish?
“I like princesses because they’re loyal and they’re [kind] and they’re pretty,” said Christina, adding that her favorite Disney princess is Aurora from “Sleeping Beauty.”
The princess day at Montalvo was made possible courtesy of MA Limousine & Transportation Worldwide, Bella Bridesmaids of San Francisco, musicians Shelley Phillips, Anya Sheriff-Norton and Julia Gratton, Bash Catering and Teresa Halton Photography.
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