Creating memories that will last a lifetime

Emma was 7 years old, had just gotten a beautiful dress to be the flower girl in her uncle’s wedding, was winding down a fun summer with friends, and recently started school as a first-grader.

Cancer. Cancer wasn’t supposed to be a part of those memory-building months. But there it was.

This beautiful, tender-hearted, energetic, fun-loving, wide-eyed child now had her world changed with the words, “Emma has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (A.L.L.).”

No one is prepared for a life-threatening diagnosis. Nothing can prepare you for it. But you put one foot in front of the other and, through the innocence of a child, and the glass-half-full perspective of Emma, you live despite it.

There are also amazing blessings that you begin to see when your scared, down-turned eyes briefly look up to get your bearings. You see doctors and nurses dedicated to healing your child. You see a community rally around your family. You see the love and grace of God. And for many children, you feel the embrace of A Special Wish organization coming alongside you to say, during this difficult time in life, we want to celebrate life and youth and remind your child that there is hope in the midst of every struggle.

Emma was given the opportunity to choose a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A trip to look forward to and propel her toward. For many families, a vacation is an annual event. For many children, after-school play, birthday parties for friends, play dates, dinners out, and some soft serve ice cream is something they anticipate often. For a child with a life-threatening illness, those “daily” activities are put on hold or come to a complete halt altogether. A Special Wish allows these kids to have an experience that helps them maintain the hope necessary for staying positive.

Emma opted to choose her Special Wish after treatment was finished and she was feeling well enough to not worry about getting sick or being regimented by her strict medication requirements. When we heard what her wish was, we realized just how significant these wishes are. They are so much more than a few days’ escape. For Emma, her wish fueled a passion for her future.

Emma chose to meet Dr. Jeff Young of Animal Planet’s “Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet.” At the age of 8, after hospital stays, treatments, doctors, diagnosis, and more, Emma found a passion inside her for veterinary medicine.

We traveled to Denver, specifically Wheat Ridge, to his clinic at Planned Pethood Plus. The trip was transformative for Emma. A Special Wish was in contact with Dr. Jeff’s clinic staff for several months to create an amazing experience. An experience that brought joy to a young girl who had, herself, been inside a hospital, away from her home, scared, and sick. A Special Wish enabled her to love on frightened animals, many without homes, and bring light and love — much like A Special Wish had done for her.

A Special Wish provides so much more than a time away for families. They offer a soul-healing, heart-restoring, family-uniting opportunity to live life despite the struggles of a life-altering diagnosis. They offer a glimpse of happiness and hope.

As we gather with family and friends to celebrate the holiday season, we ask for you to consider giving the gift of a Special Wish to other local children like Emma. Your gift, of any amount, to A Special Wish Foundation Dayton will help a child and their family, who has gone through so much, have an experience to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Thank you for consideration and from our family to yours, we wish you all the joy of the holiday season and a new year full of happiness and good health.

A Special Wish Foundation-Dayton Chapter is the only wish granting organization located in the Dayton region. For more information on how you can be part of granting a local child’s wish, go online to www.aspecialwishdayton.org.

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