Make-A-Wish Foundation makes teen Princess for a Day

(VERSAILLES, Ky) – A Winchester teenager was crowned a Princess for a Day.  With all the ingredients for a happily ever after, the Make-A-Wish Foundation worked a little magic to grant 17-year old Michele’s wish.

“Originally she was diagnosed with epilepsy with a seizure disorder. Then things went on from there.  We realized that it was a little more extensive,” says Judy Kingsland, Michele’s grandmother and guardian.

Michele was diagnosed with a nervous system disorder called Rett Syndrome at age 12. This causes her to be limited in some areas such as literacy. She’s been in special education since she was two.

There’s another reason Michele is so special. When her mom was a child, she had a brain tumor and was told by doctors she couldn’t have children. Her family believes this makes Michele a miracle baby. Like many young girls, Michele has dreamed of one day being a princess.  To her surprise, that wish granted by her very own fairy godmother, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the same non-profit that also granted a wish for her mother when she was sick.

“When we got the wish, actually we were driving by the castle and she goes, ‘Oh look, that’s my castle,’ and that’s when I went, I wonder if she could just spend the night?  That’s all I thought about,” says Kingsland.

The Make-A-Wish Foundation had a better idea. Instead of spending just one night at The Kentucky Castle in Woodford County, Michelle would spend an entire day being a princess. During the afternoon, she got the royal treatment, from a new hairstyle, a makeover, gown, tiara and her own version of glass slippers.

“It’s almost a dream for both of us because sometimes it’s hard to realize that. She won’t ever experience going to prom and getting married. This day is all of that combined,” explains Kingsland.

In true princess fashion, Michele was taken to her ball at The Kentucky Castle in a horse- drawn carriage
At her ball she met her subjects, danced the night away and of course, lived happily ever after.