From the moment of conceptualisation, Make-A-Wish Malaysia has made it their mission to grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and transformation. Since 2016 Sticky Rice Travel has been helping Make-A-Wish to make wishes come true in Borneo and this year we facilitated a trip for their latest recipient, Suci. This will be the fourth trip that we have arranged for Make- A-Wish Malaysia.
Suci Nurr Qaisara is a 7 year old girl who has been diagnosed with Protein-C deficiency since birth. It is a disorder that increases the risk of developing abnormal blood clots. There are no specific treatment for her illness at the moment, however she is on blood thinner medication on a daily basis. Her illness has also caused Suci to be blind in one eye and left her with about 50% sight on the other eye.
Suci was actually born in Sabah, where both her parents were posted for work. However, due to her condition, she was flown to Kuala Lumpur a few days after she was born and her parents had to uproot their life and move back to KL. A few weeks ago, Suci shared that her heartfelt wish was to visit her birthplace, that she refers to as “kampung saya” (my village). This will be her first time returning to Sabah and we wanted to make the trip a memorable one for her. Suci had a few important requests for this trip. First and foremost, she wants to meet her friend Fattah whom she video calls quite frequently. She wanted to see Mt Kinabalu and also experience the beautiful beaches of Sabah.
Suci being reunited with her friend Fattah
Accompanied by our high spirited guide Mike (aka Magic Mike) they explored Kinabalu National Park and the surrounding area before heading back to Kota Kinabalu. Once they returned to the city, Suci got to meet her friend Fattah over dinner to catch up and finally see each other face to face after all these years. To fulfil her wish to visit beautiful beaches in Sabah we sent Suci out to nearby islands and get her toes between the sand. Mike was a big hit with Suci and the family always keeping spirits high during the trip and smiles all around. The trip ended for Suci and her family in Kota Kinabalu, where they explored the city before heading back home.
Make-A-Wish trips are sponsored by the organisation working with partners such as Sticky Rice Travel to arrange the trip. In order to make the trip more affordable for Make A Wish we only charge cost price and provide a private guide at no extra charge. We also work with local partners to provide sponsorship for components of the trip with free accommodation or activities. Working with our local operators we were able to make this trip an absolute success and a memorable one not just for Suci and the family but also for the guide Mike and the team that was a part of making this wish come true.
