Sol3 Mio have helped Charley Hooper tick off another goal on her bucket list. Photo / Facebook
Sol3 Mio have helped Charley Hooper tick off another goal on her bucket list. Photo / Facebook
A severely disabled young girl who is slowly making her way through a bucket list has been helped along by Kiwi musical trio Sol3 Mio, who have serenaded her on the streets of Hamilton.
Charley Hooper, 10, suffered significant brain damage during birth and as a result can't speak, see or walk.
Her family have helped her create a bucket list to ensure she has "the fullest life possible".
On the "Charley's Bucket List" Facebook page, her mum Jenn describes her as "a wonderful little 10-year-old girl".
"She has long brown hair and deep brown eyes and the longest eyelashes and softest skin you're ever likely to see. She loves her mum and dad, her little brothers, Zak and Cody, her pet rabbit Digit ... the wind in her face, and bumpy rides in her wheelchair."
The bucket list has everything from holding a snake to going on a cruise and already a lot of the goals have been ticked off.
Charley has had a massage on a tropical beach, taken the ball out to the Silver Ferns, had a cup of tea with Prime Minister John Key, and has been an extra on Shortland Street.
She has met a celebrity chef, taken a ride in a racing car and helicopter, and has even been blessed by a high Hindu priest at a Full Moon ceremony.
Now Sol3 Mio -- made up of brothers Pene Pati and Amitai Pati and their cousin, Moses Mackay -- have helped Charley tick off the next goal on her list.
"About a year ago, we were watching the rugby on TV with a very grumpy Charley at our side -- until Sol3 Mio came on singing the national anthem. Suddenly, Charley quietened and became smiley. This was most unusual -- she seemed mesmerised by the boys' music. We hadn't seen her do anything quite like it before. We re-ran the footage ... and the same thing happened! From then on, Charley has spent countless happy hours listening to Sol3 Mio."
So the operatic trio sang to Charley on the side of the street in Hamilton last weekend, playing the piano and holding her hand as they did so.
Sol3 Mio later posted a picture with Charley on their Instagram page and said: "We got a message from the parents of Charley, telling us that it was on her bucket list to meet us ... so we invited her and her family to breakfast in Hamilton!! There was a piano just outside the cafe so we had to sing her a song ... even if it was 9am!"
Charley's family say the bucket list is a work in progress, with some things that are relatively easily achieved and some that are extraordinary. They want to complete her list by September 7, 2017 -- Charley's 12th birthday.
"We're open to variations or alternatives -- and suggestions for more -- so feel free to get creative.
"We'll keep you updated on her progress. If there's an item on the list (or a variation of) that you think you (or someone you know) might be able to help with, please get in touch. Charley and her family sure would appreciate it."
