Missouri town unites to give sick girl a fireworks show

HANNIBAL, Mo. – Never mind the bitter cold of January. When a sick little girl wanted a fireworks show, people in her northeast Missouri community found a way to grant the wish.

The Hannibal Courier-Post reports that a large crowd turned out Wednesday near the Mississippi River in Hannibal, in below-zero wind chill, to watch the show and give support to 11-year-old Molly McKinley. The Hannibal girl is battling a life-threatening form of ataxia.

She had asked Make-A-Wish Missouri for a trip to Disney World.

When her illness made that impossible, the organization sought to give her a Disney-like party in Hannibal, famous as Mark Twain’s hometown.

People in the community pitched in. The event Wednesday included not only fireworks but a ceremony crowning the child “Princess Molly.”

This story was originally published January 8, 2015 at 9:52 AM with the headline "Missouri town unites to give sick girl a fireworks show."