A 4-year-old with a critical illness in Cape Coral had her wish of a pool come true on Tuesday.
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has granted more than 14,000 life-changing wishes and today they surprised Aubrey Steinkamp and her family with an above-ground pool.
Steinkamp is not your average four-year-old. Her mom Christie calls her a mermaid because she loves the water. However, it has not been easy to find a pool that accommodates her needs.
“Equipment alone to carry along with her is a lot,” she said. “We need five of those wagons to drag down the beach. And so it is hard for us to be able to go and for lots of reasons now too. We don't want her getting sick.”
Aubrey struggles with epilepsy, and cerebral palsy among many other medical issues. When she is swimming none of that matters.
“We see a lot of reaction from her out of water,” Christie said. “She loves it. She loves the splash. She smiles so much. And so we agreed that a pool would be beneficial for therapy. Reasons for her, you know, just be happy.”
When she saw the pool on Tuesday, her reaction said it all.
“Just her reactions, her smiles, she's a smiley girl, but you put her in that water and she just turns into this little mermaid,” Christie said. “This glowing little happy girl just smiles a ton and lets us know that she loves being in there. And it's another thing that we can do as a family.”
This is an oasis Aubrey can share with her parents and two siblings.
“This would be a safe space, just a dream come true,” Christie said. “Most little girls want to go to Disney World. And not this one. She wants to go in her backyard to her pool.”
A true wish come true in South Cape Coral.