Dreams Matter: A Look Back at This Month’s Magical Moments
Dreams inspire hope and a belief in the future. Reach For A Dream is dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses. Each month, we fulfil hundreds of dreams, bringing smiles to the faces of brave children. Our Dreams Matter feature is a look at the special moments that have brought joy and inspired many to be resilient and hope for a better tomorrow.

Blue lights for officer Ayabulele

Becoming a police officer is what four-year-old Ayabulele from Gqeberha wants to be when he grows up. Naturally shy, the little cop dreamed of having own ride-on police car.

The dream day began at Fantasy Kidz in Gqeberha for the fun-loving and energetic boy living with cancer where he played, jumped and explored excitedly to his heart’s content. That was definitely not all of the fun we’d planned for Ayabulele on his dream day.

His mother helped him change into a mini police officer uniform and they stepped out to meet a group of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Police officers waiting by their patrol cars eager to reveal Ayabulele’s dream to him. His ride-on police car was ready to whizz him around, the cool part? He had a personalised licence plate!

He would not be a true officer without a badge and licence, which the group handed to him and marked his very first day on the job.

Princess Kananelo’s quest for the perfect tea set

Six-year-old Kananelo from Bloemfontein is a shy yet bright girl who loves to host the perfect tea party. On her dream day, she was treated like royalty by the Toys R Us staff. Her arrival at the store was sprinkled with fairy dust and she was magically transformed into a princess for the day.

Princess Kananelo, living with bronchiectasis, loves to spend time playing with her siblings. Her dream was to own a kitchen set for her tea parties and have new dolls as her guests. That dream was fulfilled when she realised she could pick out her very own in the store. Play kitchen, tea sets and dolls in hand, her excitement grew when she could pick out more treasures to add to her collection.

The people’s princess excitedly told her mother and siblings that they were having a tea party when they got home, and they left the store beaming with a haul fit for royalty.

Agent Luciano’s mission to stay connected

Luciano, 14 years old and a true lover of adventure and the great outdoors, eagerly answered the call to execute the mission set out for him. Battling a severe lung illness did not slow down the teenager from East London who dreamed of owning a cell phone.

His dream day began with a cue card which read, “Agent LJ, your mission starts now” and he excitedly figured out he was about to play a thrilling game of laser tag. Luciano quickly decided to partner up with his favourite cousin and the dynamic duo won against his father and best friend.

To reveal his dream, Luciano retrieved a secret box and had to solve a math challenge to unlock it. In it, he found a cell phone and was pleasantly surprised to also find a pair of headphones.

The day was filled with happiness and new memories Luciano captured on his brand new cell phone that will keep him connected to his friends and family.

These dreams capture the resilience these children possess, the hope they have that their dreams will come true. This is why dreams matter, and we are always happy to share these inspiring stories with you. Thank you for being part of this journey of bringing light and joy to children across South Africa.

Stay tuned for next month’s feature, where we’ll share more incredible moments of dreams fulfilled!
With your support, more dreams like these can come true. If you’d like to help make a difference, visit our donation page.