The first thing 6-year-old Camilia Vanderhorst wants people to know about her new Yorkie puppy is its name. “I’ll call him Coco, [not Coco Melon]” she insisted softly as she addressed the media gathered in front of her home in the Kingsbridge Heights section of the Bronx on Nov. 10. Asked what was the first thing she planned to do with her new pet, the shy 6-year-old said, “We can play fetch.”

While the origin of Coco’s name was unclear, what was obvious was Camilia’s joy at seeing her wish for a new puppy come true. She received her first pet in recognition of the courage she has shown throughout her journey with leukemia. The Make-A-Wish Foundation and PuppySpot teamed up to fulfill Camilia’s wish for a furry, four-legged companion. The former is a nonprofit that helps fulfill the wishes of children with a critical illness aged between 2½ and 18.

According to Camilia’s mother, Iliana Ramos, it’s been a difficult journey in and out of hospitals since the 6-year-old was diagnosed with cancer at age two. After the formal presentation of the puppy to the little girl, Ramos spoke to Norwood News in her native Spanish, saying, “She fought this childhood cancer for three years, but she’s been in remission for two years.”

According to Ramos, the medical treatments Camilia received during the earlier years of her life, combined with her compromised immune system, made having a pet inside their apartment a risky situation. However, her mom said she knew Make-A-Wish would be able to deliver Coco once her daughter was cleared by doctors to safely own a pet.

Two members of Make-A-Wish Metro New York were present on Nov. 10 to make sure Coco’s delivery went smoothly. Catherine Smith, senior associate for wish relationships, was on hand to present Camilia with her new dog. She said a two-year wait from the referral stage is not uncommon for a Make-A-Wish request. “We do like to have the wish granted, from referral to being granted, within the two years, just because it’s such a special time and it’s so much for the child,” Smith said.

Gina Florescu is chief marketing director for Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York. She provided Norwood News with a breakdown of the number of wishes granted to people living in five local ZIP codes. In ZIP code 10467, the foundation has granted wishes to 169 recipients over the past 28 years. The area covers Norwood, Allerton, Williamsbridge and Pelham Parkway and includes recipients based at NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx and Montefiore hospitals.

Just south of this ZIP code, in 10458 which covers Belmont, Fordham University and Kingsbridge, and includes Union Community Health Center (formerly known as Union Hospital), Make-A-Wish has granted wishes to 167 recipients during the same period.

In the three remaining ZIP codes of 10468 which covers Fordham, Kingsbridge, and University Heights, 10469 which covers Allerton, Baychester, Pelham Gardens and Williamsbridge, and 10470 which covers Wakefield and Woodlawn, Make-A-Wish has granted wishes to 247 recipients during the same timeframe.

Florescu also wanted to make sure people knew that the local Make-A-Wish chapter also provides services beyond the Bronx. “We are the Metro New York Chapter,” she wrote in a later email to the Norwood News. “We […] serve all five boroughs, as well as Nassau county.”

Some may think of the Make-A-Wish foundation as just fulfilling the desires of ill or dying children. However, Florescu wants to dispel that notion. She said the organization started in 1980 by granting a wish to a seven-year-old boy who wanted to become a motorcycle cop. She said the little boy died before he reached his eighth birthday.

“Since then, medicine has come a long way to help to cure childhood illnesses,” Florescu wrote. “Even though, now, more than 70 percent of ‘wish kids’ survive and even thrive, we believe that every child battling a critical illness needs the hope and care that a wish can provide as they face a very tough time,” she added. “Wish kids who look back on their wishes see it as a turning point, and a celebration of their resilience and strength.”

Meanwhile, according to PuppySpot’s website, the USDA-licensed company is “a community of dog lovers, committed to connecting the nation’s top breeders to caring, responsible individuals and families.” Officials said the organization has introduced over 200,000 puppies into loving homes to date.

PuppySpot and Make-A-Wish officials said the organizations have been partners since 2018, and have fulfilled over 150 wishes, “bringing the true happiness that a puppy’s wet kiss provides into children’s lives.”

For Camilia, another sign of her progress is her ability to now attend school. She and her mom are glad that she was able to enroll in her neighborhood school, located just around the corner from their home. “She’s been doing super bueno and now only has to see the doctor once every six months,” Ramos said. “I see how happy she is, and I feel blessed.”

*Síle Moloney contributed to this story.

Editor’s Note: Animal rights organizations recommend adopting pets rather than obtaining them through for-profit breeders, for a variety of reasons. They say breeding is especially hard on the mothers.