Disney stars make wishes come true for cancer kids

     Mumbai: The unusual animated visitors amongst the cancer-affected children in Mumbai on Monday became messengers of joy and happiness for the special children and their families. The Disney stars arrived at the appointed hour at the gathering and pranced about and mingled with the eager children. When Donald Duck did his signature strut, children cheered their hero. Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse danced with the cancer- affected children The cameras went on zapping as the cartoon characters posed with the terminally ill patients and hugged them warmly, like long lost friends. While the kids were certainly more than happy, the organizers too expressed their joy at being able to bring smiles onto the faces of the children.

   "We are feeling overwhelmed because these children are going to carry this joy, the happiness from this experience, for a long time now. A lot of them have to go back into hospital for treatment but for them this is going to make them face that challenge with new enthusiasm, with new hope and strength. That is exactly what we are working towards," said Sharmishtha Adyanthaya, chief executive officer of the Make A Wish Foundation. The children were glad to be amongst characters they never imagined they would meet in real life. "I even posed with Donald, Mickey and Minnie. I will never forget this day. I laughed a lot. I felt so much elated and those pictures will always remind me of this day, " said Reshma, a terminally ill but buoyant child. "I am so happy, my cartoon characters Mickey and Donald are here in real and I got to meet them. I will always remember this day," said Kalyani, another ill child. The whole exercise has been an effort to touch the lives of terminally ill children by the Disney channel in collaboration with Make-a -wish foundation.

   As a part of the popularization strategy, Disney is bringing the excitement to the doorstep of the children. In the current tour termed ''Disney Magic'' the Indian children have been promised a star-studded musical extravaganza to take them on a magical journey, packed with songs and dance. The treat goes on for the next month as the cartoon characters journey through 24 cities in India. India has more than 48 million cabled homes. Children's programming gets less than two percent share of an estimated 43- billion-rupees (956 million dollars) TV advertising market, but it is expected to grow quickly on the back of strong demand from advertisers.

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