According to Dailymail.com, Katie Vandrilla’s life unexpectedly changed when she was diagnosed with leukemia at just 16 years old. During this difficult period in her life, the Make-A-Wish Foundation reached out to one celebrity to help make her dream come true of meeting her “hero.” Who is this A-lister, you may ask? None other than Johnny Depp. The actor, of course, agreed. And in 2011, Katie ended up flying to London to meet Johnny while he was filming Tim Burton’s Dark Shadows – an experience that she told the outlet “meant nothing short of everything to me” at the time:

“He gave me an escape and something to look forward to when I needed it most. And that moment changed my life in some of the best ways imaginable.”

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5/20/18 and 9/19/11. I’m over the moon in both, but tidalwave of emotion was getting me in the @hollywoodvamps one. So thankful to be here to have the chance to thank Johnny for my @MakeAWish. Life changed. #WishKid #WishGranter pic.twitter.com/Zddt1ilk9I

— Katie (@Deppoholic) May 23, 2018

But that is not the only wish that Johnny granted…

More than a decade later, Katie is now cancer-free, working as a high school chemistry teacher and drama co-director in Berlin, Connecticut. She is also the author of a children’s book series called Thumper’s Adventures. The latest book, Thumper’s London Adventure, hits shelves on July 20, and it includes a touching message from a certain someone – Johnny. Weeks after his victory in the defamation trial against ex-wife Amber Heard, The Pirates of the Caribbean alum offered his support for the project by writing a heartfelt forward for Katie’s upcoming book on June 17 while in Paris. It reads:

“For my dearest Katie, For her dear family and friends, And for all the dear children out there, and for all their dear family and friends, that need that little bit of extra care and understanding right now. Please know that you are loved and that we are thinking of you all! With all my love, my respect and my good wishes to you, always, Johnny.”

In case you don’t know, the book follows a bunny named Thumper who has only one opportunity to be reunited with his family and must find Big Ben before time runs out, or else he’ll be lost in London forever. Katie told Dailymail.com that she started writing children’s books about her stuffed rabbit also named Thumper for fun during her cancer treatments, explaining:

“It started as a therapeutic project for myself, then turned into something bigger that I continued to work on for a few years. The story had to be fun, educational and inspiring.”

When she wrote the first book in the series in 2018, she even donated the royalties to Make-A-Wish in order to help other kids with life-threatening illnesses have their dreams come true just like hers did years ago. She expressed in a previous blog post:

“My Make-A-Wish sent me to a city I had never planned to travel, London, and is now a huge part of my life. Giving back to Make-A-Wish is also a large aspect of my everyday life. Aside from my book, I volunteer as a wish granter to help other kids facing critical illnesses get their wish.”

This must be such a special moment for Katie. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments.

[Image via MEGA/WENN]