A nine-year-old leukemia patient from Colorado had her dream come true in Southwest Miami-Dade when she finally met her favorite animal — a sloth. Emelia Egan and her family flew across the country for an exclusive VIP tour of Zoo Miami, guided by none other than Ron Magill.

Emelia spent the day smiling as she explored the zoo, gently petting the sloth and interacting with other animals. Her mom, Nancy Egan, said the moment was extra special because of her daughter’s connection to the calm nature of sloths.

“She is a very gentle little girl, and I think she really gravitated to the sloth because of their gentle nature,” she said.

Magill shared that these wish-granting experiences mean just as much to him. “I get more out of this than the kids ever get. For me, it is my wish come true to be able to do this, to see the effect that animals have on kids,” he said.

Emelia has been battling cancer for two years and says watching sloth videos helps her through tough chemotherapy treatments.