Dwayne Johnson and Catherine Laga’aia surprised 10-year-old Bella Riding at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) on Monday, where she sang the Moana song 'Shiny' during her recovery from brain tumour surgery. The stars of the upcoming Moana live-action movie appeared at a ribbon-cutting event for a new Moana and Lilo & Stitch-themed indoor play area for young patients.
Emotional Encounter with Bella and Her Family
Bella Riding, who underwent emergency surgery at age four after a large brain tumour was discovered, was overcome when she saw Johnson and Laga’aia carrying gift bags for her and her seven-year-old sister Luna. Johnson sang a rendition of 'You’re Welcome' to ease her nerves, reciting the line, 'I know it’s a lot, the hair, the bod, when you’re staring at a demi-god.' The sisters then gave the stars a tour of the new play area.
Johnson, who plays Maui in the film, cut the ribbon to officially open the space. He told Bella she was 'a strong, amazing warrior' like Moana, and called Luna a 'cool, supportive sister.' He added, 'This kind of stuff is the best part of fame.'
Bella’s Journey: From Surgery to Singing
Bella temporarily lost her ability to walk and speak after surgery. Her mother, Sophie Riding, 38, from Harlow, Essex, said singing 'Shiny' from the 2016 Disney film helped her recovery. 'It’s a catchy song, and she loved it, and she thought it was really funny,' Ms Riding told the Press Association. '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 recalled that Bella initially seemed to have a sickness bug, but a CT scan at A&E revealed a tumour the size of an apple. '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.' Bella stayed in hospital for two weeks and 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.'
Recovery and Thriving Today
Bella recovered her ability to speak and walk within months, and the tumour was found to be benign. She now visits GOSH once a year for MRI scans. 'If you see her now, and you meet her now, you would never know that she’d been through that,' Ms Riding said. 'She’s thriving, she’s doing so well. That’s all we could ask for.' She 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 Designed for Accessibility
The new play area, created through Disney’s partnership with GOSH Charity, extends the hospital’s existing Disney Reef play area. It features an interactive water experience that lets children move water like Moana, a bespoke soundscape with voices of GOSH patients, integrated Braille for blind and visually impaired children, and a dynamic light experience with a digital sun that shifts in real time. The space is accessible to children in hospital beds.
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.
