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In her new pink hardhat, Taylor helped crews build the playhouse of her dreams.
Little girls often dream of the perfect house, constructed to their exact specifications. For 5-year-old Taylor, she wished for a house with pink trim and flowerboxes so that she and her guests could enjoy her favorite blooms during tea parties.
Taylor’s wish came true, right down to those beautiful flowerboxes, when volunteers from the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Georgia and Alabama chapter devoted hours of labor and some gestures of love to create Taylor’s new playhouse.
At 4½ years old, Taylor was diagnosed with Wilms’ tumor, a cancer affecting her kidneys. Doctors removed the ailing kidney and prescribed chemotherapy treatments that often left Taylor wishing she were in a fun, safe place far away from the hospital.
When Taylor told wish granters about the little playhouse she’d been dreaming of, they quickly went to work. No detail was too small – from the tiny kitchen and tea party table to gingerbread trim and white picket fence.
While the volunteers worked away, Taylor watched her dream house take shape in the family backyard. With a pink construction helmet perched on her head, she oversaw crews as they hammered, nailed and sawed.
Taylor’s wish granters got every detail just right. She enjoyed a cozy tea party by the fireplace.
Then came the big day – the ribbon cutting and housewarming party. Taylor, unaware of the surprises that awaited her, went to run errands with her mom. When they returned, a crowd of friends, family and even a local TV news crew was there to greet her.
Taylor smiled brightly as she cut the pink ribbon on the front porch and ran toward her own little front door. Inside she discovered several surprises: a real chandelier, play kitchen appliances, rugs, beanbags and even a fireplace.
According to Taylor’s mom, her daughter’s wish came true “at an awesome time, since it was near the end of her chemotherapy treatments. It gave us that sense that everything was going to be okay. Make-A-Wish went above and beyond.”
Taylor is now recovering from cancer, and she often serves as a wish ambassador for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. And in her beautiful new house, she now hosts the best tea parties on the block.
By Kathryn Roethel
This page can be found at http://www.wish.org/stories/fantasy/playhouse/taylor_playhouse
© 2006- Make-A-Wish Foundation of America
