Ten-year-old Angelica Lemburg, got the wish of a lifetime. Angelica, along with her mother Willa and Angelica’s best friend Kimberly, flew to California last week to meet Miley Cyrus and see a taping of a Hannah Montana show thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Nebraska.
Angelica has been diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis, and her doctor qualified Angelica for the Make-A-Wish program.
Angelica’s special wish day began when a limo picked up Angelica, Willa and Kimmie at the Sharaton Universal Hotel where they were staying in Los Angeles, and drove them through Hollywood until it was time to arrive at the studio. The girls were so excited to see Hollywood Boulevard, the Walk of Fame, and the Kodak Theater. The girls were in awe at the high rises as well.
The limo pulled into the studio right on time and Angelica and Kimmie met the two contacts, Cheryl and Tesmond, the production coordinators for the Hannah Montana show. “It was really cute to see them giggling, pointing out things to one another, sharing in the excitement of the set and the people,” said Linda Klein, the wish granting volunteer from the California Make-A-Wish chapter who escorted Angelica on the wish experience.
Angelica and Kimmie had lunch just outside the studio. “It was an amazing spread,” said Willa. “The girls were excited to see some of the cast members come out for lunch, a little sneak preview of what was to come.”
When the cast and crew officially broke for lunch, Tesmond took the girls inside for a "private" tour of the set. “The girls went WILD,” said Linda “They ran around the different sets, extremely giddy at everything the recognized from the show. It was so cute to watch. Every time they turned a different direction, they recognized something else, and they literally squealed with delight. They also sat in Hannah's ‘Director's Chair,’ which they loved.”
The cast and crew of the Hannah Montana show were extremely friendly and hospitable. Several cast members made it a point to introduce themselves to the girls and gave autographs. The girls were beside themselves after meeting Jason Earles and Moises Arias, both of whom were incredibly friendly and warm. They gave the girls big hugs, took pictures, and visited with them. Selena Gomez, a recurring cast member, also made it a point to say hello.
Angelica, Kimmie and Willa had their own viewing area off to the side of the set where they watched the cast rehearse and ultimately shoot a couple scenes. The girls were mesmerized by it all.
“The ‘big moment’ with Miley Cyrus could not have gone better,” said Linda. “The girls were led into her private dressing room, and then her ‘handlers’ cleared out, leaving Miley alone with the girls, which I thought was really nice.” The girls and their families had about 15-20 minutes with Miley. She invited the girls into her dressing room where they all sat on the couch around her. She asked them questions, chatted with Willa, and was extremely poised and friendly. Willa said the look on Angelica’s face was priceless and she will treasure that memory forever.
Hannah also brought her dog into the room for the girls to play with, which the girls really enjoyed. Miley even pulled out her guitar and strummed a few notes for the girls. Miley was ultimately pulled away because it was time to shoot, but she was very kind, very personable, made the girls feel at home. “It was the first time all day that Angelica was "without words." which was really cute to see,” said Linda. Miley Cyrus gave the girls all big hugs before she left and told them to come back out to the set to watch her tape the Hannah Montana show.
Angelica and Kimmie were on their cell phones the entire ride back to the hotel, raving to their friends and family about the experience. “I don’t think they took a breath the entire ride home, talking over one another, excitedly rehashing the events of the day,” said Willa.
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