Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey
Circus Partners With Eliza’s Wish For Special Book Drive Event To
Kick-Off DRAGONS Coming to Salt Lake City
Local Families Can
Help Donate To Eliza’s Wish Charity To Get Free Circus Ticket
Plus Join Ringmaster
Johnathan Lee Iverson For Fun-Filled Dragon Egg Hunt
at the
EnergySolutions Arena on Tuesday, August 14th
WHO/WHAT:
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents DRAGONS is a once in a millennium event that honors The Year of
the Dragon and will be coming to Salt Lake City this September. Tickets for this all-new circus production will
go on-sale to the public on Monday, August 13th at 10:00 AM and
we’re going to kick-off the event with a morning of fun and charity.
Strength, Wisdom, Courage and Heart are
the four traits used to summon the dragon in the show and these same
characteristics couldn’t be more descriptive of Eliza Williams, a local Utah
girl who suffers from MLD (Metachromatic
Leukodystrophy). Eliza’s family
started “Eliza’s Wish” which not
only rasies awareness about her disease, but also collects and donates books
for “Eliza’s Library” which provides books to doctors’ offices and children’s
hospitals all over Utah.
As a special charity promotion,
Salt Lake residents are encouraged to bring a new or gently used children’s
book to donate to “Eliza’s Library” on the morning of August 14th at
the EnergySolutions Arena to receive a
FREE TICKET* to Ringling Bros. presents DRAGONS.
*Limit 2 tickets per family, available on a
first-come first-serve basis, subject to availability to first 100 families in
attendance
Plus, the first 300 young
circus fans (ages 2-12) in attendance will get to participate in a special Dragon Egg Hunt where each child will
get access to the specially designed “Dragon Cave” inside the EnergySolutions Arena to hunt for one rare golden
dragon egg that can be redeemed for a variety of cool prizes. Ringling
Bros. Circus Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson will also make an advance
visit to Salt Lake to meet with
kids and take them deep into the dragon’s cave to help them hunt for the
elusive dragon eggs.
The Williams
Family will be on-hand to speak about “Eliza’s Wish” book drive and will also
be available for media interviews, along with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus Ringmaster Johnathan
Lee Iverson.
WHEN: Tuesday, August 14th at 7:00 AM MDT (*No line-ups before 6:00am please)
WHERE: EnergySolutions Arena
(Southwest side of building – Door #1)
301 West South Temple,
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
About The Show
DRAGONS:
Searching the farthest reaches of the
globe, Ringling Bros. and Barnum &
Bailey® has
gathered the best of the best circus performers to honor the Spirit of the
Dragon! Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson
presides over this fantastical tournament of champions that brings together
mystic dragon lore with astounding circus feats of bravery and athleticism that
will take you on a wondrous journey to discover what it takes to believe in
your dreams. Ringling Bros. and Barnum
& Bailey Presents DRAGONS is
a never-before-seen circus adventure of legend and spectacle coming to EnergySolutions Arena from September 20-24. Tickets are available for purchase at the venue Box Office and all SmithTix
locations, charge by phone at 801-355-SEAT or 800-888-TIXX and online at www.smithstix.com or www.energysolutionsarena.com.
About Eliza’s Wish
Eliza
Williams was diagnosed with late-infantile Metachromatic Leukodystrophy (MLD) on September 11, 2007 after months of frustration
and misdiagnosis. Up to this point, Eliza was a "typically developing
child" who reached all of her milestones on time, if not early. In April
2006 she developed sudden onset Esotropia, which caused her eyes to cross. Her
first MRI came back normal and two surgeries were performed to correct her eyes.
Although she was able to walk, her gait was very wobbly and she fell often.
Doctors assured us that this was normal and that it was just taking a little
longer for her gait to develop. However, Eliza's walking did not improve and
she could not run or jump.
In
April 2007, Eliza started walking less and less and reverted to crawling again.
Her opthalmologist checked her eyes once again and referred us to a neurologist.
Initially, the neurologist suspected Spinal Muscle Atrophy (SMA) but this was
quickly ruled out from a nerve conduction test. It was then assumed that Eliza
had Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT). However, Eliza's entire body became
extremely stiff and she was in tremendous pain. In September, an emergency MRI
was ordered that confirmed our greatest fear. Eliza had Metachromatic
Leukodystrophy- a progressive and terminal disease. One short month after her
diagnosis, Eliza lost the ability to crawl, sit up, talk and eat independently
(she now has a feeding tube). She can no longer see but she enjoys listening to
the sounds around her.
Books have
always been one of Eliza’s favorite things. She loves listening to books on a
daily basis. Before MLD, Eliza was able to recite many of her favorite books!
Even though she can no longer see the pictures, turn the pages or recite the
words, Eliza still loves being read to. Eliza’s Library was started by her
family as a way to honor her, help other children develop a love for reading
and spread awareness about MLD.
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