My Little Sis- The Cancer Survivor!

One of the great things about working for Make-A-Wish is catching up with our wish kids, years after their wishes are granted. I recently wrote this for the Make-A-Wish blog about my little sister Ali. It's funny - I am her sister but am surprised by how far removed I felt from this entire cancer experience. I was 18, living up in Logan and certainly in my own world.

Now, years later, I am finally starting to understand the toll this took on our family. Working at Make-A-Wish I see dozens of families struggle and suffer through their children's illnesses. It's interesting to take step back and realize, my family went through this as well. I know that these families will do everything that they can to help their child. They will do whatever they can to ease the pain and to bring some normalcy back into their lives. I am amazed at the outlook on life that they have as families. Even after losing a child I often hear how lucky they feel. The children are also amazing. They handle cancer and illness with such courage. They have so much clarity, so much joy, and so much hope, amid so much sorrow. They amaze me.

I now fully understand how LUCKY we are to still have Ali around. This post is for her, for her strength, her health, and for her goofy personality. Love you Ali!

In 2000, sweet 4-year-old Ali, a beautiful girl with long curly blond hair, was a happy, care-free little girl. Her carefree path through childhood was filled with Barney, baby dolls, princesses, and The Little Mermaid. Things changed quickly when her parents noticed her right eye was drooping. They took her to the doctor and were devastated to hear that she had Rhabdomyosarcoma, a fast growing, highly malignant tumor. The tumor was growing behind her right eye, which was causing the drooping. Unfortunately, the doctors were unable to remove the entire tumor without having to also remove Ali’s eye and eye socket. Her parents chose instead to try an experimental chemotherapy treatment and radiation. Every week for one year, Ali received chemotherapy. She also received 40 days of radiation. She was a sick girl but refused to take her pain medication because then she would be “too sick to play.” When she would visit the hospital for her treatments she would often bring toys and gifts for the “really sick kids” in the hospital. She felt invincible, in a way.

During her treatments Ali had the chance to have a wish granted from the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Utah! When she met with her wish granting volunteers, Ali first wished at first to go to Jerusalem to see where Jesus lived. Then she wished to go on a Disney Cruise. Within a couple of days, however, she had changed her mind and asked if she could have a computer instead because it would be "something she could have forever…and play with every day." She also wondered if she could have a touch-screen computer because she couldn't read well enough to understand all the writing.

Ali's Wish Granters went to work immediately to design an idyllic wish for a five-year-old little girl. They found a purple chair, a matching telephone, an Ali-sized computer desk, a Barbie digital camera, a scanner, and lots of fun software. And they designed the perfect wish day.

The magic began when Ali was taken by limo to Guadalahonky's (her favorite restaurant) for a celebration meal with friends and family. Arriving back at the house, Ali became a "wish princess" for the day with her own special crown and a beautiful wrist corsage. Her wish granters had laid on the floor a "wish path" that Ali had to follow, picking up small treasures like candies and toys on the way. Her bedroom was at the end of the trail, and when Ali saw what awaited her and touched the screen for the first time, she shrieked with delight. She was totally mesmerized by her computer.

Ali’s wish was more than just a piece of technology, it was a chance to escape her world of doctors and treatments and enter a world of imagination. She and her sister Michelle spent hours and hours playing on the computer. Ali exclaimed, "It's like magic. I feel like I'm right there under the water with Ariel." Her mom told us, "I realized that Make-A-Wish truly accomplished what it set out to accomplish. It took her out of a doctor's world and back into a little girl's world."
Ali is no longer a little girl. She is a beautiful 13-year-old teenager. She is in the 8th grade but is actually ahead of her grade academically. She enjoys school, reading and hanging out with her friends. Ali also loves to travel and is lucky to go on lots of vacations with her family (including Europe!)

Ali has been in remission for 8 years, although she will never fully be risk free. She has had a total of 12 surgeries since her diagnosis. During her cancer treatment Ali lost all of the vision in her right eye. Luckily, she has since received a new lens, reconstructive surgery on her eyelid and now has 20/20 vision. It is no surprise that ally wants to be an eye doctor when she grows up. That way, she can help others to see as clearly as she does now.