Four-year-old Make-A-Wish recipient goes on Gurnee Mills shopping spree
Bianca Martinez won't be lacking for winter gear this season.
The four-year-old Kenosha, Wisconsin, girl battling leukemia took her family on a $1,200 shopping spree Sunday at Gurnee Mills in Gurnee, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Bianca, who has Down syndrome, was excited to visit the mall, at times breaking away from family members to roam store aisles.
But she and her mother, Rebeca Martinez, soon settled down to the serious business of shopping, with Rebeca holding her daughter in her arms and getting her somewhat reluctant approval for purchases.
At the Disney Store, Bianca proved to be a choosy shopper, vetoing several Princess outfits.
It didn't take long, though, for Disney Store personnel - known as "cast members" - to fill a shopping bag the size of a trash container with a variety of purple, pink and gray clothing items. They included Minnie Mouse gloves and an umbrella.
Rebeca said her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia in December but is responding positively to treatment.
The family was referred to Make-A-Wish through Children's Hospital of Wisconsin.
Bianca's siblings joined in on the fun, each receiving an allowance to do some shopping of their own.
"I think it's great," her 14-year-old brother, Antonio, said. "She can buy stuff that she wants."
Rebeca said she was happy with the outcome, since Bianca will have the things she needs for winter.
Make-A-Wish's Cindy Santiago, one of the wish granters who accompanied the family, said Bianca is a happy, active and sweet child.
"As soon as I met her, she just came to me and immediately hugged me." Santiago said. "She was very welcoming."
From the Disney Store, the next stop was Build-A-Bear Workshop, where Bianca again proved a bit hard to please, rejecting several bear candidates out of hand until she settled on one.
The day continued with a visit from Geoffrey the giraffe at Toys "R" Us and lunch at the Rainforest Cafe.
At the end of the day, the group was picked up by limousine and returned home for a dessert of marble cake, a tasty finish to a sweet day of shopping.