Back when I worked at Disneyland, I used to dress up as Goofy in the
park and get surrounded by up to 50 people at any one time. I'd work
through them all one by one, signing their autograph books and taking silly
pictures with them.
But every now and then, my handler would whisper in my ear "Goofy,
there's a Genie-badge waiting to see you, can you come?"
Genie-badge's, or blue badges, were given to children from the
Make-A-Wish Foundation. What the badge meant was, that the child was terminally
ill, and it was one of their dying wishes to go to Disneyland.
They are priority number 1 for characters when out "on stage."
This was the second time I had seen a Genie-badge child. The first one
was a little French boy who, from the outside, looked as fit as a fiddle! It
was harrowing to know that he probably only had 2 years left to live.
That was usually the case with Genie-badges though, they were children
who still had a few years of life left to live. They were still healthy, most
of the time.
I couldn't have predicted what I was about to encounter this time
though.
It was a little English girl, of whom I never actually learnt the name,
but I will never forget her face.
She was only around 7 or 8, and she was in a wheelchair. She had tubes
coming out of her nose and wires wrapped all around her body. There seemed to
be some sort of electrical equipment strapped to the bottom of her chair too.
God know's what it did, but it was definitely important.
But despite all this medical equipment surrounding her, it was her face
that you were drawn to.
She had the biggest, most beautiful smile you could ever see. She was so
happy, and it was to see me! I'd never felt so proud in my life, that I could
make this girl smile like that, just by doing my job!
Instantly I felt such a connection with this little girl, and I decided
to play with her for as long as I could. I would tickle her nose with my huge
Goofy hands, and I would hide behind my ears and do some silly moves. She loved
it! She was laughing and smiling as if she didn't have another care in the
world!
Nearby her mother and father were talking to my handler, while watching.
"Oh this is so great" I heard her mother say. "I can't
believe she got to meet Goofy, her favourite!"
When I'd heard that, I'd never felt more honoured in my life. I was on
the verge of tears inside my suit. All I wanted to do was to break character
and give her a huge hug, but I knew that was a silly idea.
"She really needed this. Thank-you so much" Her mum carried on
"It's so great that she got to meet Goofy, especially as she only has 4
days left."
I broke down inside my suit. Tears pouring down my face. This little
girl, this beautiful little girl was predicted to die within the week.
And then the little girl said a few words that I will never forget. Not
until the day I die.
"Goofy, when I'm in heaven, I promise I'll always look down on
you."
It took me all the willpower I had to not just break down and weep right
there and then. Fuck, I'm crying right now just by writing it.
I had spent nearly 15 minutes with her and I had to go. I was supposed
to stay out on stage for about 10 more minutes, but I couldn't handle it. I
went straight backstage and sat there for 20 minutes in silence. Just thinking
about this beautiful little girl.
It was the most humbling and heartbreaking moment I'd ever experienced
in my life. And one I will never forget.
And on days where everything is going shit and I'm feeling depressed, I
like to think that that little girl is looking out for me.
My very own guardian
angel.
