Jacqueline beamed as her parents untied her bright pink Nikes and replaced them with high heels. Her dress was fit for royalty, and even its heaviness couldn’t weigh her down as she twirled with her court at the party of her dreams.  It was her quinceañera — her wish coming true.

Just a few months prior, Jacqueline struggled to take a step, even with the help of a walker. “I couldn’t walk because of how bad the pain was, even with medication” she remembered.

Bone pain, consuming fatigue, extreme nausea, and horrible weakness were just a few of the horrors of cancer treatment for Jacqueline.

As if this wasn’t enough, 15-year-old Jacqueline felt isolated from the world. “I couldn’t go anywhere because they didn’t want me to get sick more than I was already… I really missed my friends,” she said.

Cancer continued to take, as Jacqueline remembered how her siblings didn’t ever know when she would come back. 

So, when Make-A-Wish came into Jacqueline’s life, a shift took place. “It’s very different to have something exciting and fun to look forward to,” Jacqueline shared. “Being able to plan the wish was really helpful for my outlook, because I got to think about the future in a good way.”

Jacqueline wished to have a quinceañera — a large coming-of-age party held in honor of young Hispanic women upon their 15^th birthday. To Jacqueline, a quinceañera symbolizes growing up.

During the celebration, the parent of the birthday girl removes her tennis shoes and exchanges them for heels. “That signifies becoming a woman,” Jacqueline explained.

So, it was only appropriate that Jacqueline surprised her best friend, who had stood by her through every stage of this growth — joyous and difficult — with a special dance. It was one of her favorite parts of the celebration, and not a dry eye could be found in the crowd. Most of them hadn’t seen her happy since she started treatment, so these happy tears were a welcome change.

This was more than a birthday party. Jacqueline was able to do all these things that were never possible during treatment, and it was such a victory.

Jacqueline said that, when creating her wish, she knew she would want to “celebrate another year of life that I thought I would never get.” Jacqueline shared. “As a cancer patient, you never know what could happen, a lot of things can go wrong,” soberly adding that “there’s a lot of kids with cancer who don’t make it.”

But, as much as cancer took away, it couldn’t tarnish the magic of her party: “Everything turned out exactly how I wanted… it was wonderful to see everything come to life.”

This concept of life was on Jacqueline’s mind throughout this whole process. “I feel like I aged so fast during chemo… I guess that’s what cancer does”.

So Jacqueline’s quinceañera was a reclamation. She was celebrating her growth, no longer being forced into it. She was surrounded with family and loved ones, no longer aching for a shred of human contact. And she danced in her high heels, heavy dress, glowing glory, and with the strength that only hope, resilience and triumphant joy can bring.