Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga'aia surprised a 10-year-old Moana superfan who found comfort in the film's songs while recovering from life-saving brain tumour surgery. The stars of Disney's upcoming live-action remake paid a surprise visit to young patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital on Monday, officially opening a new Moana- and Lilo & Stitch-themed indoor play area.
Emotional Meeting with Young Fan
Among those they met was Bella Riding, who underwent emergency surgery at the age of four after doctors discovered a large brain tumour. Bella, who sang songs from Moana throughout her recovery, was overwhelmed when Johnson and Laga'aia appeared carrying gifts for her and her seven-year-old sister, Luna. The emotional moment became even more special when Johnson, who reprises the role of Maui in the live-action film, serenaded Bella with "You're Welcome" to help calm her nerves, leaving the young fan in tears.
After he sang "I know it's a lot, the hair, the bod, when you're staring at a demi-god," Johnson was given a tour of the new play area by the starstruck sisters. Johnson, who cut a ribbon to officially open the play area, said "it's an honour to meet you guys" before telling Bella she was "a strong, amazing warrior" like Moana while Luna was a "cool, supportive sister." He added: "This kind of stuff is the best part of fame."
Bella's Journey to Recovery
Bella temporarily lost her ability to walk and speak following surgery, and her mother Sophie Riding told the Press Association that singing the song "Shiny" from the 2016 Disney animation film Moana had helped with her recovery. "It's a catchy song, and she loved it, and she thought it was really funny, and she used to laugh at it all the time," said Ms Riding, 38, from Harlow in Essex. "And then we noticed that, when she was watching that, and she was relaxed, she wasn't thinking about trying to speak, she was trying to sing this song. We continued to let her watch it, and she was just watching this on repeat, like all the time – hundreds of times. We could sort of hear that she was making the right sounds, and she was starting to sort of like mould the words right again. It really did make the world of difference."
Ms Riding said Bella was first believed to have caught "some type of sickness bug" when she began getting sick at night and complaining of painful headaches. But shortly before her tumour was found, her mother noticed Bella stumbled and did not walk straight. She took her daughter to A&E, where a CT scan revealed a tumour roughly the size of an apple, and she was rushed to Great Ormond Street for emergency treatment. "Had they not caught it when they caught it, the chances are she wouldn't have survived another week," she said. "The pressure was building up so much in her brain that she could have had a stroke, brain damage, any of those things."
Recovery and Thriving
Bella stayed in hospital for two weeks following surgery and initially struggled to engage in activities. "Only five days before that, she was running around, playing, doing everything she could do, and then five days later, she was laid in a bed, hooked up to wires, having blood tests every hour, and couldn't walk or speak," Ms Riding said. "It was so terrifying and frustrating for her, and she was too young to understand that that will change. So we started to try and get her to watch films. I was given a tablet, and we started watching Moana, and she absolutely latched onto the song 'Shiny.'"
Bella recovered her ability to speak and walk within months, and the tumour was found to be benign. Bella is now "thriving," her mother said, with visits to Great Ormond Street Hospital once a year for MRI scans to monitor her condition. "If you see her now, and you meet her now, you would never know that she'd been through that," she said. "She's thriving, she's doing so well. That's all we could ask for." Ms Riding praised GOSH for the care Bella received: "For all the traumatic side of everything for us, she has not one bad memory of being there."
New Play Area at Great Ormond Street
The new play area has been created through Disney's partnership with the GOSH Charity. It is an extension of the hospital's existing Disney Reef play area and includes features such as an interactive game-technology water experience that lets children move water like Moana. The space was designed so it can be accessed by children in hospital beds and features a bespoke soundscape with the voices of GOSH patients. It also has integrated Braille for blind and visually impaired children, and a dynamic light experience with a digital sun that shifts in real time.
Louise Parkes, chief executive of GOSH Charity, said: "GOSH Charity exists to ensure seriously ill children get the best chance and the best childhood possible, and thanks to Disney's generosity and the expertise of our charity-funded play team this wonderful new space will help more children like Bella experience the joyful moments of play that are so important in their formative years. It's a brilliant example of what can be achieved through the long-standing partnership between GOSH Charity and Disney, and we're incredibly grateful for their continued support." The live-action adaptation of Moana will be released in cinemas on July 10.
