“Thunderbolts*” star Sebastian Stan helped grant the wish of a young fan during the “Disney Week of Wishes” campaign.
On Tuesday, April 30, Good Morning America shared the experience of 18-year-old Aurora Dennison, when she and three others were invited by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to the set of Marvel‘s upcoming movie “Thunderbolts*.”
Dennison is a lifelong dancer who has been battling a chronic gastrointestinal disorder and debilitating arthritis for years. In the video she explains that while she knows there will be bad days for the rest of her life, it is Stan and his character Bucky Barnes that make her smile.
When she was invited to the set, Dennison was able to spend time with Stan, along with the Marvel cast members for the movie, and her excitement could be seen through it all.
“I was so grateful that I got to hug this person who had done so much for me,” Dennison said in the video.
Stan shared that spending time with Dennison was “amazing” and that when talking about his character, Bucky, the young fan seemed to know more about him than Stan did.
The video also shows the two exchanging dog-tags and Stan giving Dennison cupcakes to celebrate her 18th birthday.
“I think anytime that we have an opportunity to interact face to face and just see the amount of joy and gratitude that some of these kids have, you know, just from a simple ‘hello,’ fills you up,” Stan said in the video.
What is the ‘Disney Week of Wishes’ campaign?
After a 45-year relationship with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Disney kicked off their first ever weeklong company-wide “Disney Week of Wishes” campaign on Monday, April 28, reported ABC.
According to Disney’s official website, Disney is granting wishes for more than 170 Make-A-Wish kids during this campaign. From a Princesses themed ball to a moment on American Idol, the entertainment company is making dreams come true.
“We’re enormously proud of Disney’s relationship with Make-A-Wish which dates back nearly 45-year to the first official wish at Disneyland,” said Disney CEO, Bob Iger, according to the company website. “It‘s a privilege to use the power of Disney’s stories and characters to lift children’s spirits when they need it most, and we’re honored to work with Make-A-Wish to grant a Disney wish every hour of every day.”
The first wish granted at Disneyland
The world renowned Make-A-Wish Foundation was first inspired by a Phoenix community that, in 1980, came together to help seven-year-old Christopher James Greicius — who was battling leukemia — get his wish of being a police officer granted, according to the organization’s website.
Following Chris, seven-year-old Frank “Bopsy” Salazar — who was also battling leukemia — became the first Make-A-Wish kid and Disney wish as he wished to visit Disneyland, per the foundation’s website.
Since then, Disney has become the nonprofit organization’s biggest wish-granter as they have aided in granting more than 165,000 wishes around the world the way only Disney can, reported ABC.
“No one else has such a powerful connection with children and families, which is why we take this privilege and responsibility so seriously with Make-A-Wish,” Iger said, according to ABC.