“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I am sure,” I replied.

My mind was light, my stomach had butterflies tickling me from the inside out, and my heart was jumping for joy. The two strangers I had barely known for a few hours gave me a wink, left my house, and went back to their rental car. I was elated.

We had to wait a few months, but the day finally arrived. The day of the trip. The day that I had anticipated. My family and I packed into our limo and headed to the airport. First stop: London. We had a quick layover, just enough time to eat a sandwich and take a look in the airport’s Tiffany & Co. store. We grabbed a copy of The Times, which featured the birth of the royal baby girl, and then we shuffled onto another plane.

We landed in Barcelona in midafternoon and had just enough daylight to do some sightseeing. I had never left North America before, so wandering around the streets of Europe felt like an incredible wish come true. Street performers to the left. Historic, ancient buildings to the right. But in the back of my mind I kept thinking, I can’t believe someone was generous enough to send me and my family on a trip to Europe.

The next day we boarded the luxurious cruise ship that would be our home as we sailed around Europe for the next 15 days. When I opened the door to my suite, dozens of presents lay on the bed, waiting to be opened. Free soda passes, free cruise activities, free Wi-Fi and movie service, private tours of the ship’s bridge, and backstage passes to all the cruise ship’s plays and musicals.

Is this really all for me?

Our first stop was France. I ate French fries, escargot, and frogs’ legs – all paid for by generous strangers. Anything I wanted, I could have. The next stop was Pisa, Italy. I got to visit the leaning tower and spend the day wandering the Italian streets on an extravagant tour paid for by someone I did not know. Why? I did not get my answer until the second to last day of the trip.

The next few days I traveled through time and visited the old streets of Rome. I walked through the Colosseum, strolled through the ruins of Pompeii, toured the island of Capri, rode donkeys through the narrow streets of Greece, swam in the breathtaking, crystal blue waters of Krka National Park in Split, Croatia. A wish come true. A fairy tale. A trip that most people can only dream of taking. I experienced all of this because of someone else’s generosity and kindness toward a child they did not even know.

The day that would change my life forever had arrived. We were at sea and would travel on the ship for the whole day. The ship’s event coordinator decided to plan a special “Walks for Wishes” walkathon to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, so that more wishes like mine could come true. I hosted the walk and led hundreds of fellow passengers on a mile-long walk around the ship’s sky deck. We raised $1,500 so that more kids like me, with life-threatening medical conditions, could have their one true wish granted.

Why did so many people participate? I wondered. Then a lady approached me. I do not know her name. I only spoke a few words to her. She may not even remember me now. She gave me a big hug and said, “Annabelle, I participated in the walk today because I work in a children’s hospital. I see the courage and strength you kids have on a daily basis, and it is kids just like you who inspire the entire world.” Her words brought tears to my eyes. I realized then that when people see good happening, they do good for others.

During that trip to Europe, I saw and experienced more generosity and kindness than I had ever seen in my life. Since then, I have dedicated my life to doing good for others; whether it is something small like paying for someone’s order at Starbucks, or something large like hosting fundraising events for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, every little bit helps. And every little bit of good inspires someone else to do something good for another person.

Author’s note: I wrote this piece to document how I felt during my Make-A-Wish trip and to encourage people to do good for others. I have a very serious medical condition and have gone through many surgeries and rounds of chemotherapy. The Make-A-Wish Foundation gave me hope, strength, and happiness in a dark time when I needed it most.