SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — At the end of January, we brought you the story of Brookings area 2-year-old Sloan Murfield and her battle with a rare and fatal genetic disease. Just a couple weeks ago, Sloan and her family went on a trip to Florida granted by Make-A-Wish. 

For the Murfields, doctor’s appointments, tests and checkups have become the norm with little Sloan for almost a year.  Since talking to them last, the little one had surgery to get a feeding tube, and mom and dad say everything is going well with that so far.

Sloan’s genetics doctor referred the family to Make-A-Wish South Dakota and Montana, and they were in the process of planning their wish around the same time of the surgery. 

“We just wanted a place where we could relax as a family and get to just spend time together without having to worry about work or anything else that might pop up,” Sloan’s mom Heather Murfield said.

They decided to go on the trip as soon as they could while Sloan is doing well – which was just two weeks later.

“Before she would need to be on any other machines or needed any other type of medical care, anything like that, we wanted to just go while she can still be herself and still enjoy things,” Heather said.

They stayed at the village “Give Kids the World” in Kissimmee, Florida, just south of Orlando. One of their favorite parts was the “Castle of Dreams,” and they were able to decorate a star with Sloan’s name on it that was placed on the “tower of stars.”

“It’s breathtaking to see. The amount of stars that they have there. The amount of families it shows that this place has reached, and so they light up your star area with a little spotlight, and they show you exactly where it is and you get to take pictures with it. Sloan gets to see it,” Sloan’s dad Kevin Murfield said. 

They also visited Disney World, Sea World, the ocean and more. It’s a trip and memories they’ll never forget.

“For them to give us the opportunity to just get away and just be a family, there’s no words,” Heather said.

Being a part of that and having been a family member to receive something like that, we’re so thankful for them. They truly gave us six days of just family time and creating memories and making memories for Cainen to have of his sister and us to have of them together. It was just, it’s so hard to put into words how amazing it really was,” Kevin said. 

Sloan was diagnosed with a form of Batten Disease. If you’d like to help the family, you can visit the GoFundMe page set up for them.