MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Make-A-Wish Wisconsin has been granting wishes for 40 years. On Monday night, the foundation granted four-year-old Maizlee’s wish to go to the Shedd Aquarium, followed by presents, princesses and pizza.

Maizlee of Sun Prairie was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a rare cancer that starts in her retina, at age three.

“We noticed that she had a white spot in her pupil, which was disturbing,” said Maizlee’s mother, Kelsea Blom. The white spot was followed by strange behavior from her daughter.

“She was just kind of lethargic and not her normal three-year-old self,” Blom said.

Now, at age 4, she is fulfilling her Make-A-Wish Foundation wish while in remission.

Forrest Doolen, senior director of marketing and communications for Make-A-Wish Wisconsin, said there is a lot to look forward to Monday night.

“She has a lot of fun here at Urban Air, food, pizza and whatnot,” said Doolen.

One of the surprises for Maizlee was a real tiara presented to her by John Hayes, president of Goodman’s Jewelers. Her eyes lit up when Hayes said he understood that she was the princess today.

“She’s a little princess, so we made sure she had a matching tiara,” Hayes said.

But the greatest gift of all was the fulfillment of her wish. Her mother said that the idea for her wish was initially more practical for a four-year-old.

“I just started college and she said I want a college fund,” Blom said. “I thought, this is really not fun.”

After attempting to fulfill a very grown-up wish, she quickly decided to take a trip to Chicago to visit the Shedd Aquarium. On Monday night, her wish was granted and on Saturday, her bags will be packed to leave with her family by her side. Blom said it was “nice to see a silver lining in all of this.”

But she is not the only one, because Maizlee’s story touched everyone involved.

“It’s really a labor of love to be able to participate in something like this. To be able to honor a little child,” Hayes said. “There’s nothing more beautiful than the smile of a child and the laughter you hear.”

“It means so much to me to be part of this organization. To see the hope and the joy and to know that these wishes make such a profound difference in the lives of children,” said Doolen.

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