A joyful renunion
Sacramento Bee, USA - December 24, 2007

When Hawwi Namarra saw her aunt on Sunday morning at a downtown Sacramento hotel, the two rushed into each other's arms.

Hugging and crying, they tumbled to the floor.

"We were shaking," Hawwi, 14, said later in the dining room at the Hyatt Regency. "We couldn't even stand up anymore."

The reason for their excitement and tears was a surprise reunion between Hawwi, a Carmichael high school student who suffers from a potentially lethal blood ailment, and her aunt, uncle and grandparents from Ethiopia.

The event was made possible by the Sacramento chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

Hawwi's wish was to show her Ethiopian family members her home in America, but she didn't expect them to visit for months ...