Kalea's Pen Pal

Kalea is a bright, creative 7-year-old. One of her favourite activities is writing to her pen-pal Lauren, who lives in California. The girls have a lot in common. Both love making crafts and love playing Nintendo DS. Both girls also know how challenging it can be to live with cerebral palsy.

Kalea's dream was to go to California and meet her pen-pal in person. According to Kalea's mom, when the two girls finally met, "they got along like long-lost sisters and there was tons of laughter and silliness going on." What could be better than visiting a pen-pal? How about a visit to Disneyland with your pen-pal? The two girls spent a wonderful day having breakfast with Minnie and going on all the rides together.

Kalea's California dream also included playtime on the beach with her sister and an outing to the San Diego zoo to see Panda bears and all her favourite animals. This time away together was special to Kalea and her whole family. Although she was sad to say goodbye to her pen-pal, Kalea has wonderful memories of her California adventure and is full of hope, knowing that a trip like this is possible!