During treatments for her life-threatening medical condition, 14-year-old Courtney listened to pop artist Shania Twain. According to her mother, Pam, Shania’s music “lifted her up” during the treatments and during rides home from the hospital. When wish granters explained to Courtney that she qualified for a wish with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Georgia & Alabama, the teen thought about the woman who gave her strength during her most trying times. She wished to meet Shania Twain.

An opportunity presented itself, and wish granters nailed down the details. Shania would be performing during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVII at San Diego’s Qualcomm Stadium. Along with three other Make-A-Wish® children and their families, Courtney traveled to San Diego for the much-anticipated meeting.

The excited girl’s wish experience began when she and her family – including older brother Austin, dad Kent, mom Pam, and younger sister Kaylee – were picked up in a limo and taken to Qualcomm Stadium the day before the Super Bowl. Security escorts began Courtney’s adventure with a tour of the stadium. The family watched workers paint the field’s end zones and took Super Bowl-themed photos. Suddenly, Shania came out for her rehearsal, waved to the Make-A-Wish families, and said she would be over to talk to them when she was done. After running through her performance three times, she kept her promise.

Shania sat down with each Make-A-Wish child in attendance, and Courtney was the fourth and last of the bunch. The nervous fan brought CDs and picture frames with mats for autographs. Shania happily obliged and asked what was Courtney’s favorite song. Meanwhile, Courtney’s family took pictures of the interactions. Those pictures were later framed using the autographed frames and mats. In an act of generosity, Courtney asked Shania to sign a message to her extended family and friends back in Georgia. When the wish experience was done, Courtney made copies of the autographed message and shared them with people in her community.

In addition to her “super” experience, Courtney and her family visited the San Diego Zoo, which Mom called “wonderful.” They also took in movies and toured the region’s coastline. Since then, Courtney’s mother reports that her daughter has entered high school, plays the piano, sings, runs, and “enjoys life.”