DEARBORN – Seussical characters from the Players Guild of Dearborn helped Make-A-Wish Michigan fulfill a wish for Juliette Peace, 4, of Oxford, who has Rett syndrome, a rare genetic neurological disorder.
“Seussical the Musical” character Gertrude McFuzz, played by Meg Kisch of Dearborn, is one of Juliette Peace’s favorite Dr. Seuss storybook characters, her mother, Brianna Peace, said.
“When I was little, my grandpa read Dr. Seuss to me,” Brianna Peace said. “He passed away when I was pregnant with Juliette, so we wanted to carry on that tradition of reading.”
Kisch, along with Dearborn residents Samantha York as Mayzie La Bird and John Denyer as the Cat in the Hat, greeted the Peace family after the May 1 matinee, to which the family received complimentary tickets.
Annabelle Whittle, 11, who watched Juliette’s face light up during the show, said it was a great experience for her half-sister.
The meeting was arranged through Mark Wagner of Plymouth, a “Seussical” cast member and Wickersham Brother who volunteers with Make-A-Wish Michigan, which grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.
Wagner said the family will have a chance to go to Disney World in a few months, and opportunities like meeting “Seussical” characters are wish enhancements.
“We do a lot of things to make her more excited about Disney World, and do things for her leading up to it,” Wagner said.
Brianna Peace said Juliette’s condition, Rett syndrome, will prevent her from walking or talking, cause her to have severe seizures, and she will become wheelchair-bound as she continues to decline.
She said Juliette laughed during the musical, and was not intimidated by the Seussical characters she met up close after the show.
“She’s happy, and she smiles, and she laughs all the time,” she said. “She’s a wonderful little girl.”