COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- A Wisconsin girl suffering from cystic fibrosis and diabetes didn't ask the Make-A-Wish Foundation for a trip to Walt Disney World.
Fourteen-year-old Mindy Zaleski of Bancroft, Wis., wanted to pet a koala.
Multiple media outlets reported she got the chance Tuesday when she visited Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, one of the few zoos in the United States with koalas.
Mindy fell in love with koalas three years ago when the Build-A-Bear store brought stuffed animals to her hospital.
Mindy and her family got behind-the-scenes tours with penguins and giraffes before spending time with Jimmy, one of Riverbanks' friendliest koalas.
Mindy says Jimmy was better than her stuffed toy because he moves.
Her sister, Kristina, also has cystic fibrosis and the family visited Disney World on her trip last year.
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