When most wish kids look back on the photos of their wish experiences, they see their own smiling faces and remember the joy they felt when their wishes came true. Seventeen-year-old Andrea also has amazing memories of her wish, but in many of her wish photos, she’s nowhere to be found. That’s because she was behind the camera, living out her wish to participate in a “National Geographic” photo shoot.

Andrea, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma during her junior year of high school, spends her free time taking pictures for her school’s yearbook and newspaper in Kansas. Her dream is to be a photographer for “National Geographic,” and the goal of her wish, she said, was simply to learn.

Professional photographer Joel Sartore once shared Andrea’s dream. Now that he works for “National Geographic,” he jumped at the chance to make Andrea’s wish come true.In a flash, he put together a photographer’s dream shoot – a trip to Nebraska to photograph majestic sandhill cranes, followed by the rare chance to capture the sharptail grouse’s mating dance on film. In the past, Sartore had clients who paid thousands of dollars for the chance to participate in a shoot like this. This time, Andrea and her family were his guests.

Before Andrea left on her photo safari, UAW-GM gave her a stylish sendoff. She got a VIP tour of a GM assembly plant and lunch from her favorite pizzeria. The local GM dealerships even helped fill her camera case with photography supplies and the underwater camera lens she’d had her eye on.

Days later, Andrea was crouched in a tiny, 4-by-8 photo blind in the Nebraska grasslands. Andrea, her father and Joel had to rise before dawn, bundle up and crawl out to the prime viewing spot so they wouldn’t disturb the grouse’s delicate dance. She and her camera lens had a perfect view of the birds, but the blinds shielded her from the birds’ view.

When Andrea wasn’t behind the camera, she and her family relaxed at a Nebraska cattle ranch known for its beautiful trail rides. There, Andrea snapped publication-worthy shots of other wildlife, including pigs, horses, turkeys and elk. She even got to borrow Joel’s $6,000 camera and $15,000 lens.

Andrea and Joel also shared a “small world” moment beyond their love of photography:Joel’s grandfather had spent his entire career working for a car dealership owned by one of Andrea’s relatives.

When Andrea finally put the lens cap on her picture-perfect wish, she thanked those who made her dream come true.

“Being diagnosed with cancer was certainly not fun, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything,” she wrote. “Joel Sartore…taught me a lot about photography and a little about life. I am very thankful to all the people who helped with my wish…Thanks for the memory!”

By Kathryn Roethel