Like every other child her age, four-year-old Safiyyah Ebrahim from Cape Town, loves playing with toys - dolls in particular.
Little Safiyyah, diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow that affects white blood cells, was given her one wish while recovering in hospital - to shop for her own toy dolls.
With the help of the Reach For A Dream Foundation - a charity that fulfills the dreams of children with life threatening illnesses – and Toys R Us & Babies R Us South Africa, she got to experience her own private toy run ahead of the national lockdown, dashing through the aisles of the Cavendish, Cape Town, store in search of her favourites.
Her mother Ayesha Ebrahim said the gesture brought her daughter tremendous joy despite her illness.
'Although shy, Safiyyah had the best day choosing all her favourite toys and then the bonus of more dolls and accessories, courtesy of the head office.'
Reach For A Dream’s Western Cape branch manager Heidi Rowley, commended the Toys R Us team for their “incredible willingness to help us make Safiyyah’s dream come true”.
“Although shy, Safiyyah had the best day choosing all her favourite toys and then the bonus of more dolls and accessories, courtesy of the head office. They really did go over and beyond, and we are truly so grateful for helping to ease our task. We can never underestimate the value of stakeholders who help to make a valuable difference in the lives of our very brave dreamers,” said Rowley.
“We are extremely glad that we were able to bring joy and inspire hope in little Safiyyah by creating an unforgettable toy experience. We salute the amazing work done by the Reach For A Dream Foundation and we continue to support their wonderful efforts,” added Catherine Jacoby, marketing manager Toys R Us & Babies R Us South Africa.