ASHLEE BYRNE WAS a five-year-old living with Leukemia when she was told that she was going to become a princess for a day.  

“They did up my hair and they gave me a new dress,” Ashlee, now 11 years old, says. 

We went on a horse and carriage with Miriam O’Callaghan and Santa… and I got to open the Disney shop… it was a great day.

Ashlee’s parents, Ray and Donna, say that to see their little girl smile again, after everything she had been through, was a life-changing experience.

“Coming up to the Wish (Day) every day was hospital appointments… chemo every day, it was all about her illness,” says Donna.

She says the Wish Day was all about Ashlee and fulfilling her wish – she didn’t have to think about or talk about her illness. She could simply be a princess.

“It’s a memory that you can have forever,” says Ashlee who was given the all clear last year from her leukemia and according to Donna, is back to being healthy and happy.

Today is Make-A-Wish Ireland’s Wish Day. For more information on how you can donate, visit www.makeawish.ie.