"Isla's wish from Make-A-Wish: Pokemon Go adventure in real life"

#PokemonGO: My daughter, Isla, is being granted a wish from Make-A-Wish on August 10th 2018 at Otakon 2018 in Washington DC where she is being given a real life pokemon adventure. I am attempting to reach Niantic in hopes of getting their support in memorializing this event. I've had amazing support from our local PoGo communities and word is spreading about her wish, e-mails are pouring in from people wishing to attend, and trying to put me in touch with members of the community that can help get her information in front of the right people to make this happen.I'll post a lot of information below, but the summary is that I am committed to trying to get Niantic to release the Unown letters of her name during the Otakon 2018 event. If anyone knows how to help me with this request (maybe it's just getting in touch with the right person, and getting Isla's story in front of them), I would be forever grateful. Everyone who meets Isla knows how much she wishes to make others happy and the idea of her name making being a source of such joy to so many people in the area that day would be a lasting memory she'd always cherish. I appreciate your help. Thank you so much in advance.One tweet from the DMV community:"Make-A-Wish is doing a live Pokemon Go wish for Isla on August 10th 2018 as part of Otakon 2018 in Washington DC. Isla is going to experience a real-life Pokemon Go adventure played out by actors and characters orchestrated by the Make-A-Wish team. The family is requesting Niantic could add to the event/experience. Niantic, Nintendo its time to give back and drop a special legendary event for her. The family is asking for you to make Unown Pokemon around the Washington D.C. area of the letters of her name (I S L A). I am asking you to take this one step further and light up every gym with a different legendary Pokemon for a couple of hours for Isla. This will get a huge crowd for her, Time to give back from a level 32 who has bought a lot of coins!"Letter sent to DMV community earlier this week:Something you will want to read. My daughter is getting a wish from Make-A-Wish, and it's to play Pokemon Go in real life. If you'd like to attend to support her and to enjoy the magic of what Make-A-Wish creates that is a Pokemon Go adventure (think dressed up life-size characters, tasks and an adventure to find pokemon, possible celebrities related to the game), I need information from you asap. Keep reading. Many of you have met my daughter, Isla (pronounced eye-luh), the smiley 6 year old who is tiny for her age, and has a great enthusiasm for everything Pokemon related! She was born with a complicated heart defect that claims the lives of most children who are unfortunate enough to born with it. She was given short odds of surviving to the age of three, but she broke through every obstacle she faced along the way (two open heart reconstructive surgeries and seven major operations later). At the age of three she was granted a wish from Make-A-Wish, but at the time it was in the middle of an extended stay in the ICU at Children's National in DC and so she was unable to have her wish granted. A year later they tried again, but determined she was too young to make a wish for herself (she kept wishing for everyone else to have something... she's a very sweet girl). Around her 6th birthday she requested to be able to find Pokemon in real life, and the Make-A-Wish reps determined they could work with that. They've spent the last year developing a special event for Isla that centers around the game Pokemon Go.The wish will take place in Washington DC on Friday August 10th in the morning/afternoon as a part of Otakon 2018 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Otakon is an annual three day anime convention that focuses on East Asian pop culture (anime, manga, music and cinema) and its fandom. Voice actors from the Pokemon series will be attending and involved. I told the coordinators about Isla's involvement in this Pokemon Go community and they would like to create a special group rate (Friday access to Otakon) to allow supporters to attend Isla's Pokemon Go wish. Currently I see no way to get into Otakon for Friday only (and the full weekend ticket costs require membership, those who are already going are all set - keep an eye out for details if you'd like to see Isla's wish while you're there) so I'm thinking this will be a cheaper way to attend the wish and also see everything Otakon has to offer. I don't have an exact time (the e-mail said morning/afternoon), but I'm guessing her wish will be 3-4 hours long and will start in the morning (8 or 10ish) - that's my best guess. Details to come. This group rate/access will only be grated if there is enough interested, which is why I need people to get back to me asap [Edited: deadline 11am on Saturday, July 14]. What I need from those interested is the following information (first name, last name, city, zip and e-mail). If you are interested in attending this event please e-mail me (******@gmail.com) that information and I'll keep you informed.(edited)I'm thinking of writing Niantic in hopes they can do something special on behalf of Isla during Otakon. Such as the unown letters I-S-L-A showing up on Friday in Washington DC. If anyone has ideas or would like to help draft a note to Niantic about this event I welcome the help or advice (who to contact?), as this will be my first time reaching out to them. I will post major updates about the event here, to keep people informed... and my apologies for use of the @ everyone tag. Due to the timeliness of needing to get the group numbers back to the reps I thought it would be acceptable. For those who want to attend please indicate so in your e-mail. I'll e-mail back about details on attending, and will put major updates about the event here when they get released.Letter drafted and sent to Niantic Support, and Niantic executive offices yesterday:Dear Niantic,I am reaching out to you on behalf of Isla, a beautiful and amazing six year old girl who has a love for all things Pokemon more than could possibly be imagined. I would be hard-pressed to tell you which Pokemon she truly loved as she has taken the "Gotta Catch 'Em All" concept to heart. The lessons taught to children across the world by Profs Oak, Elm and Willow, the Name Rater and even the Pokemon Breeders of friendship, compassion and understanding are only eclipsed by the lessons learned from Pokemon Go and the community that she is a part of, and has championed, with her diminutive stature and yet giant heart and smile. Isla was born with a complicated heart defect that claims the lives of too many children before they can even learn and love life, yet that hasn't stopped her from learning these lessons before anyone could ever expect. Two open heart surgeries and a total of seven major operations have been undergone, but the determination and pure spirit of this little girl has yet to be conquered. She spent nearly eight months of the first three years of her life battling as hard as she could, and coming out of it with a smile on her face that was nigh impossible to remove.(edited) Isla has been associated with the Make-A-Wish foundation since she was three, but when she was granted her chance at a wish, she was in the middle of an extended stay at the ICU at Children's National Hospital in Washington D.C., and was therefore unable to make it happen.This year, however, is a little different. Make-A-Wish, once again, reached out and Isla's wish was to be able to play Pokemon Go in real life; to experience the bond with her Pokemon and be able to capture and create friendships with her Pokemon that will last over a lifetime. Make-A-Wish has, in conjunction with Otakon 2018, has been able to make this a reality. Her wish is being realized at Otakon, on the morning and afternoon of August the 10th, in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington D.C., where Isla will be participating in a live-action Pokemon Go event designed to make her wish and dreams a reality. Otakon 2018 has already confirmed their own participation, as well as confirmed participation of voice actors from the Pokemon animated series as well, furthering the special and unique nature of Isla's wish fulfillment. Otakon has gone one step further and has authorized a special "Friday-only" attendance pass to allow her Pokemon Go community, that has experienced her smiles and jumps for joy during raids, to attend and participate in what is quickly becoming everything a deserving and resilient young girl could ever hope for; to simply have something special.This is why I am reaching out to you; to help Make-A-Wish, Otakon 2018, Isla's Pokemon Go community and the entire Washington D.C. area make Isla's wish as special as possible. This is an opportunity to help not only an amazing charity and foundation express a child's wish, but to develop and show the Pokemon Go community as a whole that we all, both developers and players, truly believe in the morals and concepts that generations and millions of people the world across now share. It would mean the world to Isla, to her parents, as well as to everyone she has ever given a smile to, to have Niantic and Pokemon Go help us celebrate her wish with a release of Unown Pokemon around the Washington D.C. area of the letters of her name (I S L A). For her to know that she was not only able to live her dream of playing Pokemon Go in real life, but to be able to share it with so many other people and know she was able to put a smile of faces of so many others; it would give her strength and meaning knowing that she was able to give so many people a bit of happiness along with her wish. It would be a keystone to help commemorate her special day and make sure that, following the lessons she has learned from Pokemon. It would be instrumental in making sure that Isla will always be known for selflessness, sharing and compassion.Grovyle, in Mystery Dungeon, said it best: "The important thing is not how long you live, it's what you accomplish with your life. While I live, I want to shine. I want to prove that I exist. If I could do something really important, that would definitely carry on into the future." Help Isla shine. Help prove she exists. Help her do something important where the entire community can see and recognize how special she is and why Pokemon Go is so important to her: friends. I have attached a photo of Isla from a community event that I've been using to spread awareness of her upcoming event. She is the younger of the two, next to her sister Adelyn. I've also attached a photo of the e-mail communication with the event coordinator from Make-A-Wish. I can put you in touch with her or provide further proof if any is required.Sincerely,-Eric C (Isla's Father)Niantic Support response today:Hello Trainer,Thank you for contacting Pokémon GO support.We are in awe and truly appreciate the extraordinary courage of Isla. Appreciate her loyalty and deep love for Pokémon GO. God bless her always.Sincere apologies as we are unable to comply with the request regarding the spawn of Unown letters spelling I-S-L-A as various global events are lined up for which the schedule is completely packed.However, I will still try to request Isla's case as an exception to our dedicated team even though I can't promise anything. Thanks for your understanding. Regards,SwainNiantic SupportA video I put together of Isla when she was younger... for context, we are now four years later. She's still here :) And she LOVES Pokemon. I appreciate the continued support. I'll post more information as I receive updates in this process. Trying to do everything I can to make her wish special.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48vmNnsgyosThank you from the bottom of my heart. via /r/TheSilphRoad https://ift.tt/2L9XFlO