Safyre Terry’s Story Goes Viral: 8-Year-Old Arson Victim Gets Walt Disney World Trip For Christmas
An 8-year-old girl named Safyre Terry survived a horrible arson attack that ended up killing her family and left severe burns on over 75 percent of her body. After losing her father and three siblings in the 2013 fire, she now lives with her aunt and uncle. Young Safyre has a simple Christmas wish: she wants some Christmas cards. That’s it. The world has responded with thousands of them and even a free trip to Walt Disney World.
Liz Dolder is Safyre’s aunt and legal guardian, and her niece’s wish had been posted recently on the young girl’s “Super Survivor” page on Facebook. It showed Safyre holding a Christmas card tree holder that she had gotten at a thrift store, and the 8-year-old simply hoped to get enough cards to fill it up.
Well, the world responded.
As reported by ABC 7, Terry had received close to 20,000 Christmas cards and around 500 packages in a two-ton truck this past Friday morning. The post office already expects this next week that a tractor-trailer will be needed to bring Safyre all her deliveries.
Now, things have become even more magical for the young girl and her family, as she has also been gifted an all-expenses paid trip to Walt Disney World.
NBC New York reported that Baking Memories 4 Kids, a non-profit group that funds week-long trips for children with life-threatening and terminal illness, sponsored the trip.
Safyre Terry was burned in the Schenectady fire back in 2013, and many who helped investigate the fire are giving back to her today. The Walt Disney World trip will be presented to her by the New York State Police, the Schenectady Police Department, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
The Schenectady fire that disfigured Safyre Terry caused severe burns all over her body and caused her to lose her right hand and left foot. She has needed more than 50 surgeries to graft skin over her burns.
Making matters even worse is that her father (32), sister Layah (3), and brothers Michael (2) and Donovan (11 mos.) died in the fire. It had been set in a stairwell that was upstairs from the family’s apartment. Safyre lives with her aunt and uncle after her mother gave up custody of her.
One man had been arrested and charged with setting the fire, but the charges against him were later dropped less than a year later. An explanation as to why the charges were dropped was not released by federal authorities.
Another man was convicted last November about lying about being near the scene of the fire of Safyre’s apartment. None of the deaths have been charged to him.
It’s times like this that people can see there is a lot of good still in the world and that there are people out there just wanting to help. Safyre Terry merely wanted to get some Christmas cards, and the world let her know that people were thinking about her.
Dolder said that Safyre was hopeful her card holder would get filled up, but her aunt was doubtful.
“When she said she can’t wait to fill up the card tree my response was ‘I don’t think it’s gonna get filled up but I am sure we will get a few more cards.’
“She believed and all of you are making it happen.”
Safyre Terry has already lived through much more hurt and suffering at 8-years of age than many experience in their lives. Now, the kind-hearted at Christmas have sent her cards, presents, and even a trip to Walt Disney World to make her dreams come true.
[Image via Facebook]
