Seventeen-year-old Sarah watched episodes of "I Love Lucy" during treatments for her life-threatening illness. Sarah's mom explained, "I think when Lucy helped Sarah the most was this last time Sarah was in the hospital. We played Lucy day and night. And when the testing was painful, we turned it up a little louder." Sarah's battle with a life-threatening illness qualified her for a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of North Texas. Volunteers with the chapter informed the teen she qualified for a wish, but because of her illness, it had to be granted within a short amount of time.

The ambitious teen wished to visit the Lucy-DesiMuseum in Jamestown, New York – Lucille Ball's hometown. Wish granters found out about an annual festival held at the museum called Lucy-Desi Days, but the celebration was six months away. Even with the unfavorable prognosis, Sarah was determined to make it.

Eventually, Sarah pulled through and made the trek to Jamestown. Lucy-Desi Days included grape stomping, impersonators, trivia contests, movie marathons, book signings, celebrity guests, and art exhibits. "Six months would have been up this month, and so I made it. I'm here," Sarah proclaimed at the time, defying her prognosis from a few months earlier. She also explained her love for Lucille Ball. "She has charm, and it's clean comedy. You don't find that these days."

The people of Jamestown treated Sarah like royalty. With her parents and best friend, the "I Love Lucy" fan jumped into a world filled with her favorite entertainer. Sarah took private, exclusive tours of Lucy's birth home and childhood home. She talked with the actor that portrayed Little Ricky. She met Lucy biographers, who gave her autographed copies of their books, some unreleased. Sarah even performed a classic "I Love Lucy" skit at the Lucy-DesiMuseum with a Lucy impersonator. The duo performed Lucy's hilarious attempt to sell a bottled elixir called "Vitameatavegamin," advertised to contain vitamins, meat, vegetables, and minerals.

More amazing things happened. A man found Sarah's family and gave her a scrapbook he'd been collecting since the 1950s that tracked Lucy's career. The artist who painted Jamestown's murals of Lucy created a portrait and completed it just in time to give to Sarah. He exclaimed, "I was so afraid I wouldn't finish it before you left!" The family even accepted invitations to be the guests of honor at a local chef's restaurant. The cook prepared them Desi's favorite meal.

In addition to highlighting her will to thrive, Sarah's experience shows two more important things – laughter really is powerful medicine and Jamestown, New York, knows how to share the power of a wish®!