Kettering girl meets TV personality

Emma Becker is a bright and happy 11 year old from Kettering. She loves to sing, dance, play tennis and enjoys going horseback riding! However, more than anything else, Emma loves animals in all shapes and sizes! When it came time for Emma to decide where she wanted to go for her Special Wish Emma it was no surprise to anyone she wanted to meet cancer survivor and her favorite television vet, Dr. Jeff of Animal Planet’s “Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet.”

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Diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in 2013, Emma and her parents decided to hold off on taking her Special Wish trip. “Emma just wanted to get through the illness before making her choice,” said Caroline Becker, Emma’s mother. “A Special Wish was wonderful about letting Emma take the time to feel better, and it gave her the time to decide what she wanted to do. After successfully completing the course of treatments Emma made her decision. She wanted to meet Dr. Jeff and visit his veterinarian office in Wheat Ridge, CO. “Emma wanted to meet Dr. Jeff,” said Caroline, “not because he’s on TV, but because he’s a cancer survivor, and his practice is incredibly charitable. Emma’s goal in life is to be a veterinarian and talks about wanting her own dog to be a trained therapy dog!”

When A Special Wish Foundation — Dayton reached out to Dr. Jeff’s office regarding Emma’s wish, Dr. Jeff and his staff could not have been more gracious and inviting. Emma and her parents would spend the week of the Independence Day holiday in CO. When she found out her wish had been granted, Emma’s mother said “Emma was both ecstatic and incredibly humbled! Emma is hilarious, but very reserved and simply doesn’t expect anything. She kept saying ‘really!?’ Emma kept her wish under wraps. She knew the wish was being granted but had no idea how huge this was going to be.”

Emma’s time with Dr, Jeff was everything she had hoped it would be. “When we first arrived, Emma met with Dr. Jeff, and she had the biggest smile as well as tears in her eyes and said, ‘I am just so happy.’ She kept saying ‘I’m in my happy place … I’m in my happy place!’ Caroline continued, “We ended up staying at Dr. Jeff’s for almost four hours. We were taken on a tour of the entire facility, played with a few of the “patients” and even watched a couple of surgeries being performed! During her visit, Emma told Dr, Jeff how she loved caring for animals and when she gets older she wants to be a vet. Dr. Jeff told Emma that she was welcomed back at any time to their practice. They are invested in Emma and in Emma’s dreams. They want to help encourage her goal of becoming a vet.”

During the planning of Emma’s Special Wish trip, Tyler Gregory, wish manager at A Special Wish Foundation, arranged for Emma to be the VIP guest at the Denver Zoo. While at the zoo, Emma was treated to a special “behind the scenes” tour, had an up-close view of the monkey and big cat areas and was given the prestigious honor of feeding the giraffes.

Emma’s wish was made possible, in part, through a wonderful partnership with Panera Bread Company (Covelli Enterprises.) Panera Bread Company locations throughout the Dayton region dedicated their counter collection boxes to ASW during the months of January and February 2017. The monies collected were in an effort to fund an area child’s Special Wish! This was the third year of the partnership. “We are so proud to support A Special Wish Foundation Dayton and help make Emma’s wish come true,” said Sam Covelli, owner/operator of Covelli Enterprises, the Ohio-based franchisee of all Dayton area Panera Bread locations. “We strive to make a positive impact in each and every community we serve, granting Emma’s wish helps us do just that.”

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When Emma found out that Panera was sponsoring her wish she asked, “Is this because we’re at Panera all of the time and they found out?!” Caroline laughed, “She truly believed they were supporting her because we eat there so much! I’m truly thankful to Panera and they helped to kick-off Emma’s trip in an amazing celebratory fashion. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the vital role A Special Wish — Dayton plays in our community. Not only do they bring awareness to local children battling life-threatening disorders, they do something even more important, they give kids hope, joy, and happiness.”

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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