April The Giraffe Grants Wish Of 10-Year-Old Boy With Life-Threatening Condition
April the Giraffe captured the public’s hearts once again after granting a special wish of a young boy who had watched her live stream for months.
On Tuesday, the Animal Adventure Park teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central New York for a meet and greet event for a 10-year-old boy who has a life-threatening seizure disorder. The boy, named Alex Johnson, traveled with his family from Ohio to come face to face with the famous giraffe.
According to TMZ, the Make-A-Wish Foundation chose Alex and offered him to make any wish that they intend to grant. The young boy decided to have a personal meet and greet with April the Giraffe, Oliver, Tajiri, and the zoo staff at the Animal Adventure Park in Harpursville.
As part of his life-threatening condition, Alex has difficulty with his eyesight, making it hard for him to see very well. However, the young boy can see large objects like animals at the zoo.
It was also revealed that Alex, along with his family, has been a loyal follower of April the Giraffe. Apparently, Alex and his family watched the then pregnant giraffe’s live stream, just like millions of other people worldwide.
However, when April the Giraffe gave birth to Tajiri, Alex was admitted to the hospital. His mother, Dawn Johnson revealed that despite being in the hospital, Alex was still paying close attention to the giraffe.
“I woke him up and told him that April was having the baby. He watched the whole time. I knew this had to be the wish because we couldn’t get him to stay up for more than 5 or 10 minutes when he came home from the hospital.”
April The Giraffe Grants Make-A-Wish For 10-Year-Old Boy (PHOTOS) https://t.co/JfAc0ylGvn
— TMZ (@TMZ) June 7, 2017
Alex and his family were accompanied by the Animal Adventure Owner Jordan Patch and the animal caregivers. The Johnson family were treated to a tour around the park, sharing some interesting details about April the Giraffe. They were also given a gift basket with April and Tajiri apparel as well as carrots and lettuce to feed them.
The Make-A-Wish Foundation in New York applauded the Animal Adventure Park for their eagerness to grant the wish and for being helpful from the beginning. Heidi Robinson, the organization’s Program Services Manager, expressed her gratitude to the owner and entire staff of the park.
“Jordan was one of the first people I got in touch with. Normally, you don’t reach the owner on the first try. He was wonderful and so easy to work with. His entire staff went above and beyond to make this happen, which is more than we can ask for.”
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to fulfill wishes of children between ages 2 1/2 and 18 who are suffering from life-threatening medical conditions.
Recently, the Animal Adventure Park announced that they will be increasing their live camera coverage for April the Giraffe, Oliver, and Tajiri. According to reports, viewers can watch the family’s interaction from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday. The coverage will be aired on the park’s official YouTube channel.
Patch also announced that they will be going live every Tuesday and Thursday at noon to introduce more animals. The said program is scheduled for the next four months.
It can be recalled that the park reduced the broadcast to just one day a week after the birth of Tajiri. Apparently, the maintenance of keeping the coverage up interfered with normal park operations, especially as they prepared to open for the season.
April the Giraffe gave birth to Tajiri on April 15, Saturday with more than 1.2 million people witnessing the moment. The young giraffe weighed in at 129 pounds and stood 5 feet 9 inches tall at his birth.
[Featured Image by Tom Meaker/Shutterstock]
