Daziana Emmanuel is only four years old, but she has spent half of her life fighting cancer. This week, the Miami-Dade girl got something she had wanted for a long time: a dog to call her own, a black poodle delivered to her by Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
According to WSVN, Daziana had wanted to be a dog owner, and officials with Make-A-Wish Southern Florida made that happen by gifting her the poodle as part of the organization's wish-granting mission. Daziana and the puppy became fast friends, per the station's report, running and playing a game of tag with balloons together shortly after they met.
A Bond That Formed Almost Instantly
The pairing appeared to click right away. Per the same account, Daziana and her new poodle bonded immediately, a connection that echoes research on the human-animal bond. Studies backed by the Human Animal Bond Research Institute have examined links between human-animal interaction and physiological measures including cortisol and oxytocin, according to the Human Animal Bond Research Institute.
That kind of emotional lift matters for a child like Daziana, who has been battling cancer for half of her young life. Research published in Quality of Life Research has examined psychiatric symptoms among children with cancer.
Wishes as Part of the Treatment Plan
The benefits documented by researchers go beyond mood. A study led by Nationwide Children's Hospital found that children who received a Make-A-Wish experience were more likely to have fewer unplanned hospitalizations and emergency room visits compared with children who did not, a finding Wish.org cites as evidence that granting a child's wish carries measurable medical value, not just emotional comfort.
Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has been doing this kind of work since 1983, when it was founded by the Plantation Junior Woman's Club. The chapter now serves 22 Florida counties and the U.S. Virgin Islands and has granted more than 15,000 wishes to critically ill children since it began. In 2024, the organization opened its permanent five-story headquarters, the Finker-Frenkel Wish House, in Miami's Overtown neighborhood, a 30,000-square-foot facility visible from Interstate 95 that includes an interactive experience designed to help children discover what they want to wish for.
Miami-Dade's Share of a Growing Statewide Trend
Daziana's diagnosis is part of Florida's broader pediatric cancer history. A separate 40-year retrospective analysis of Florida Association of Pediatric Tumor Programs records found that annual new pediatric cancer diagnoses statewide surged 326 percent from 1981 through 2020.
To qualify for a wish, a child must be between 2.5 and 18 years old, diagnosed with a critical illness by a physician, and either receive treatment or live within the chapter's service territory without having previously received a wish. Referrals can come from medical professionals, parents, or the children themselves. Make-A-Wish America grants wishes to children with critical illnesses.
One of Several Recent South Florida Wishes
Daziana's poodle joins a string of recent wishes granted by the same Miami-based chapter. Earlier last month, Make-A-Wish Southern Florida brought 10-year-old Dmytri Christian Alexander to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport to marshal a private jet, another pediatric cancer patient whose family came from the U.S. Virgin Islands. The chapter also grants wishes across its South Florida territory.
Miami-Dade County's FY 26-27 Animal Services budget materials list multiple dog-licensing figures, including 227,583 and 229,546 dogs licensed in the county. Miami-Dade Animal Services said on Jul 5, 2024, that the shelter was operating at 189% capacity for dogs and 153% capacity for cats.
For Daziana, the wish came down to something simpler than a jet or a party: a dog of her own to run around with. Based on how quickly she and her new poodle took to each other, chasing balloons together within moments of meeting, it appears to have been exactly what she wanted.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, children under 5 are more likely to get sick from germs animals can carry, making thorough hand-washing an important precaution around pets. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends routine veterinary care for dogs and says young children should always be supervised around them.
