A Nova Scotia girl whose own wish was once granted is now helping to make the wishes of other children come true.

Manon d’Entremont was born with a rare heart condition and underwent three open-heart surgeries by the age of three. Five years ago, Manon spent some time at a special resort in Florida built for children with life-threatening illnesses, thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

This week, Manon and her family are returning to the Give the Kids the World Village, located near Walt Disney World in Orlando. Only, this time, they will be returning as volunteers.

“I can make other kids feel special and make them feel like, like I felt when I went,” says 8-year-old Manon.

“It’s a marvelous village. There’s no word to describe the feeling you feel,” says her mother, Nicole d’Entremont. “You feel like royalty for a week.”

Each child leaves their own special mark when they visit the village. Manon left a star and says she can’t wait to see it again, and neither can her grandparents – Simone and Earl Muise – who will be visiting the resort for the first time.

“We’re really excited about that,” says Earl. “We do want to give. It was such a gift to give her and the family, that now it’s our turn to give it back.”

“It’s a challenge having a child with a life-threatening illness, and I always look back and say that maybe I’m one of the lucky moms, because I’m getting to go back to Give the Kids the World with the children.”

Manon and her family, who live in West Pubnico, N.S., have donated to the resort in the past. In addition to volunteering their time, the family will be presenting a cheque of more than $1,000 during their visit.

While the family spends their March break volunteering, Manon says she is also looking forward to some well-deserved fun.

“I’m excited to go to Disney!”

Her mother says she is excited too, but for different reasons.

“It’s a positive emotion, but it’s an emotional place to be,” says Nicole. “To say while we were there as a Wish family, this was given to us, but for us to give back, it’s an awesome feeling.”

Twelve members of Manon’s family will be arriving Tuesday at Give the Kids the World Village and say they are looking forward to putting smiles on the faces of children and their families.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Suzette Belliveau