I wish to have a sewing machine

Jerida is a 16-year-old whose life has been shaped by courage, sacrifi ce and quiet determination.
From a young age, her path was already difficult. When her family couldn’t afford to send her to secondary school, Jerida didn’t give up. She carried a powerful dream; to become a tailor, and earn a living with her own hands, one day supporting herself and her family.
When her parents couldn’t afford tailoring school either, Jerida made a brave decision. She went to work as a house helper for an entire year, saving every small amount she earned. After twelve months of patience and hard work, she fi nally had enough to begin her training and buy her fi rst sewing machine.
Then everything changed. Jerida was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma. The money she had worked so hard to save went toward hospital visits and treatment. Slowly, the future she had built with her own hands slipped away.
But then when Jerida was referred to hospital, she discovered something unexpected; they offered a class teaching patients sewing.
Drawn back to her old dream, she began spending as much time there as she could, quietly and faithfully learning how to tailor. Yet still not knowing if she would ever recover enough to work again, or earn enough for the tools.
When the Make-A-Wish team met Jerida, she asked for nothing elaborate. With quiet hope, she shared her one wish: to have a sewing machine.
When it was granted, her face lit up with disbelief and joy. This was more than a wish, it was a second chance. A chance to rebuild her future. A chance to believe again.
From that day on, Jerida threw herself back into the skills class with new energy and confi dence, every stitch a step closer to the life she once thought she had lost. Her wish wasn’t just about a sewing machine. It was about giving back what illness had taken away.