6-year-old girl gets to ‘save the day’ thanks to Make-A-Wish Minnesota

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — She preferred the red and blue lights to the red carpet, and it was quite a superhero’s welcome.
Za’Nari Collins, 6, lived out a special wish on Monday at Mall of America by teaming up with Bloomington police to solve a mystery and “Save the day at MOA.”
Her mother, Cece Collins, said her daughter’s smile captured all the feels.
“It was so heartwarming,” she said. “Just imagine your kid sitting in the hospital bed not knowing if they’re ever going to get out, not knowing if they can be their real self in the real world. Now she’s like, ‘I’m here today. I’m six years old. I get this. I’m brave.'”
Za’Nari, from Minneapolis, was diagnosed with leukemia when she was three.
“That smile literally brightens my day. She tells me sometimes, ‘Mom, it’s OK, Mom, just keep going.’ That just tells me she’s so brave,” Cece Collins said.
Mall of America has been partnering with Make-A-Wish Foundation for more than 30 years; Make-A-Wish Minnesota has granted more than 6,000 wishes since the chapter was founded in 1982.