A MOMENT TO CHERISH: Film star Chiranjeevi interacting with children, some of them with life-threatening illnesses, at the International Wish Day celebrations of the Make a Wish Foundation in Hyderabad on Tuesday. Photo: Satish. H

HYDERABAD: Making wishes of children with terminal ailments come true, the Make a Wish Foundation's City unit celebrated the International Wish Day here on Tuesday, but parents of the terminally ill children had one big unfulfilled wish - better access to their children to cinema halls, bus and rail stations and malls in the city.

Venkateswara Rao, father of Sai Keerthi, a girl suffering from muscular dystrophy, aired the wish at the celebrations. He posted his wish to film star Chiranjeevi who was present on the occasion, interacting with children with life-threatening illnesses and making their day.

Unfulfilled wishes

"We have prepared my darling daughter for the worst. She knows what is in store for her and has bravely accepted the reality, but her little wishes like going out for a movie is like a mirage, as cinema halls have no facilities to offer to her," he said, urging Chiranjeevi to sensitise theatre owners on the needs of the physically-challenged and the terminally ill. Saying that getting into buses and even crossing the road was a Herculean task for them, particularly those confined to the wheel chairs forever, he appealed to the Government and planners to look into the needs of the terminally ill children in public places.

Actor's appeal

Padmabhushan awardee Chiranjeevi, who donated Rs. 1 lakh on the occasion, underscored the need for people to make a world of difference to the lives of children enduring immense pain and misery.

From a sortie on a flight to a meeting with film star Nagarjuna, "a bicycle to take his friend for a ride" to `a visit to Charminar and buy bangles at Chudi Bazar' and the biggest teddy bear in the city', wishes of several children were fulfilled by the foundation in the last few months, volunteers said. "With their age defying maturity and immense courage in the face of death, the kids have humbled us. They taught us more lessons than we learnt all our lives," they maintained.

Programme director Madhumati Chukkapalli, Director, Apollo Cancer Hospital, Vijayanand Reddy and others spoke.

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