Yorktown Boy Visits Disney World, Courtesy of Make-A-Wish

A boy with a form of leukemia has gone to Disney World to meet Mickey Mouse, courtesy of Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley. Riley Burns, a three-year-old from Yorktown, got the news about his trip to see Mickey straight from the man in red, Santa Claus. The surprise announcement was made at the Make-A-Wish's Wish House in Tarrytown.

Riley was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when he was 17 months old. His cancer has been in remission for a year. This past June, after Make-A-Wish® Hudson Valley met with Riley and his family, it was decided that Disney World would be the perfect Wish destination. He and his parents, Amy Manning Burns and Tara Burns, traveled to Disney World earlier this month.

Make-A-Wish® grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The wish experience is a community effort involving volunteers, staff, donors and medical professionals working in tandem to make each wish come true. Since its inception in 1986, the Hudson Valley Chapter has granted wishes to over 2,500 children in the community it serves. The Chapter’s territory includes Delaware, Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties. For more information about the Hudson Valley Chapter visit www.hudson.wish.org.

Photo/ Courtesy of Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley. Riley with his mothers, Amy Manning Burns, left, and Tara Burns, right, and Santa Claus, at Make-A-Wish Hudson Valley's Wish House.