On a late Thursday evening, we were contacted by the staff at Hassenfeld for a special end-of-life request for an 8-year-old girl. Within a few days, we had a plan: decorating her room with her favorite unicorns, a unicorn cake from the Flour Shop, a generous selection of unicorn-esque products from Almay, and a sparkly tiara.

On Wednesday, we delivered the gifts, wrapped in unicorn-themed paper and ribbons, along with a visit from Julie Kandalec, an editorial manicurist, which means she does the manicures for fashion magazines and shows, and even celebrities! Julie brought unicorn stickers and jewels for our patient’s pedicure.

As Julie went to work on jeweling up her toes, she opened each gift with animated glee - inspecting each unicorn themed gift, like a night light that projects unicorns on the wall or ceiling, a unicorn dream catcher, and sequined pillowcase, blanket, and even unicorn slippers. She made an audible gasp when she opened the box of Almay makeup and proceeded to pull out all the products and spread them out on her bed.

After experimenting with some of the product on a brave family member, we presented the unicorn confetti cake. Once the cake is cut and the first slice removed, a surprise avalanche of sprinkles cascades out of the cake. It’s so much fun to watch and eat!

We also presented the family with a gift card to Shake Shack. Once the cake was distributed and the toe nail polished dried, we left the Little Unicorn with her gifts. We were extremely humbled to be asked to make a beautiful memory for her and her parents. Experiencing such an intimate setting really drove home the dire reality for so many patients and their families.

Thank you to Julie and Almay for rallying at the last minute to make this happen for her, and to the staff at Hassenfeld for allowing us to be there for her.