Q: Why did you choose this wish?

A: I chose this wish because I did not believe I was going to die, and I wanted something that I could always have. I still have my stereo, and even though it was 17 years ago, it still has great sound!

Q: What was one of your favorite memories from the wish?

A: The first night I went to bed I was amazed at all the lights on the stereo and I remember how happy and special it made me feel. I could even manage the controls from my bed with the remote control! It was an amazing feeling and one I will never forget.
Q: What’s your medical diagnosis now?

A: I have been in remission for over 17 years and am doing wonderful! I remember at one of my check ups in college my doctor told me that my chances of getting leukemia again are about the same as getting hit by lightening. I was a little nervous whenever it stormed out for awhile.

Q: What are some of the highlights of your life now?

A: I am currently married to an amazing man and have been for six years. I am very close to my family and enjoy all of the time I spend with them. I have a great job as a medication assistance social worker at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. In my free time, I like to spend time with family and friends, travel, attend the Iowa Hawkeye basketball and football games, and I have recently gotten in to scrapbooking. I am also an active member of the Iowa City Make-A-Wish committee and have been for going on 10 years.

Q: What did your wish mean to you?

A: I was diagnosed with cancer the summer after my freshman year in high school. This was a time in my life when I was finally starting to feel confident in myself. I was in high school, had a lot of friends and just started dating my first boyfriend the end of the school year. Getting diagnosed with cancer, missing 60 days of school my sophomore year due to treatments and being hospitalized and losing my hair really put a stop to the wonderful high school years I was hoping to experience…

A nurse at the hospital approached me about Make-A-Wish, and I did not think it was real. A chance to wish for almost anything, that was not what my life was about at that time, and it just didn’t seem possible. I was wrong. The one thing I could still do was listen to music and I LOVED music. I was able to pick out the exact stereo that I wanted and also received money for some CDs! The Make-A-Wish volunteers came to our home and set up everything in my bedroom. That night and all of the nights after that I was able to fall asleep to something I loved. I was able to “escape” from all that was going on in my life and be a teenager, relaxing and listening to music.

My experience with Make-A-Wish inspired me to become a Make-A-Wish volunteer. When I go on a wish interview, I usually share with the families that I was a Make-A-Wish child. It really makes me feel good to be able to give these families hope in seeing how well I am doing. I recently did a wish interview with a family of a three year old diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. When I told her mom I had ALL, was a wish child and was treated at the same facility her daughter is being treated at, she was amazed. I never had the opportunity to see survivors when I had cancer, and, even though I did not believe I was going to die, I think it would have given me an uplift to see that I could end up being a normal, healthy adult. Make-A-Wish has given me the opportunity to be that hope for others and to share in the moments of joy that can be so rare for these children and their families.

Q: What do you want to tell people about the Make-A-Wish Foundation?

A: Make-A-Wish is about making you feel special, allowing you to have fun and make an incredible decision in your life that makes you happy at a time when almost all control and all that is normal is taken away. It allows you to forget about all the bad that is going on in life and really does allow dreams to come true!