This little girl wrote to Dr. Bonnie Henry about her birthday party. She got an answer back

Sasha Glegg has been looking forward to her 10th birthday party for a long time.

The young Vancouverite had it all planned out: a Harry Potter-themed party where all her friends could come over to catch the train from Platform 9¾, sit under a Sorting Hat and finish with a scavenger hunt.

But with all the guidance from officials about staying home and physically distancing to stop the spread of COVID-19, Sasha wasn't sure what to do about her upcoming birthday party plans. 

"First I wrote to Justin Trudeau, but I didn't get the answer I was looking for because he was too busy. So then I wrote to Dr. Bonnie Henry," Sasha said from her home. 

Watch the young girl read out the letter she wrote Dr. Bonnie Henry:

9-year-old's letter to Dr. Bonnie Henry

5 years ago

Duration 0:16

Sasha Glegg reads out the letter she wrote to B.C.’s provincial health officer asking for advice about her birthday plans.

Her mom, Stephanie Glegg, helped her email the note to B.C.'s provincial health officer — thinking just maybe someone at the office might have time for a quick reply at some point. 

"[I] appreciate that this may not be possible but still wanted to model citizenship and government engagement with my children," Glegg wrote as a prelude to her daughter's message.

Within hours, Henry replied personally. 

"It is really hard to know right now what will happen in the next month but my best suggestion for you is to work with your family to see if you can find a fun 'virtual' way to celebrate your important 10th birthday rather than having your friends get together right now," she wrote in part of the message.

"I know some young people in my life who had a cupcake decorating party on-line and it was really fun! (And they all sang and danced together online too.)"

Watch Stephanie Glegg read out the full email back from Dr. Bonnie Henry:

Dr. Bonnie Henry responds to young girl's letter about her birthday

5 years ago

Duration 0:55

Stephanie Glegg reads out the letter her daughter, 9, got back from B.C.’s provincial health officer.

Sasha says she was surprised and "really, really, really, really happy" when she saw the response.

"It really meant a lot for Sasha to hear back from her and to have her worries validated and an answer to her question," her mom said. 

"It gives us hope that if there is an issue that is important to us or a question that we have, it never hurts to reach out and ask. You might be surprised."

Watch Sasha read out the response she sent back:

Writing back to Dr. Bonnie Henry

5 years ago

Duration 0:28

Sasha Glegg says she was 'really, really excited' when she got Dr. Bonnie Henry's email. She reads out the 'thank you' letter she sent back.

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