What was your ultimate wish when you were a kid?
Most of us would think of going to Disney World or meeting a famous person like the Queen. Others would dream of seeing and petting an animal – theirs or not – for one last time. While most of us would want to witness, spend, and celebrate one happy moment with our family.
All these wishes are valid. We have these because we want something to hold on to. One life is all we have, and we at least want our greatest desires to come true before we die. It sounds morbid, but don’t we all think about the end of life?
We hear of organizations that grant wishes to terminally ill people.
Loved ones would often send a letter or request and hope they would be granted that wish. Others, especially the elderly in hospices, would tell their caretakers of their dying wishes.
They would do everything they could to grant those wishes. They pull some strings to make the impossible possible, even if their wish is as simple as wanting to go home to spend their remaining days.
Bertha Komor had only one wish since she was little.
Ever since she was a little girl, Bertha wished to hold and meet a penguin. Yep, you read that right – a penguin! She lives in Connecticut, and since penguins live in cold and icy parts of the world, it wasn’t easy to spot one.
Now, the 104-year-old woman revealed this lifelong wish to her caretakers at Village Gate Farmington. The retirement community set its eyes on the goal of making sure they grant Bertha’s wish.
The Twilight Wish Foundation Connecticut Chapter jumped at this opportunity.
They pulled all the strings to ensure they granted Bertha’s childhood wish. They reached out to Mystic Aquarium, which had the beautiful creatures in their facility.
The foundation and aquarium arranged a private meet-and-greet for Bertha and one of their beloved penguins named Red Green.
And boy, did it make Bertha happy!
They brought Red Green to the retirement home’s common room where Bertha, her granddaughter, and the elderly gathered. The staff from Mystic Aquarium brought out Red Green and laid it on Bertha’s lap.
Bertha couldn’t contain her joy, and her smiles said it all. She was able to hold the penguin and pet him, too! Definitely a dream come true for dear Bertha, and her granddaughter was happy to have witnessed that.
“I’m just so excited for her. I’m just so happy she has had this wish come true and just to have been in our life for as long as she has,” Bertha’s grandchild, Karen Rivkin, told WFSB 3 News.
Bertha was just speechless when asked about her experience.
“I never thought it would happen. I didn’t expect this — [it’s] wonderful,” she said.
All the organizations that made this possible were happy to be a part of this memorable experience for Bertha. At least, before she crosses over, she has this dream-come-true moment to take with her.
Check out the adorable moment in the video below!
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