I wish to go to Aulani, a Disney® Resort and Spa
Alina
8
cancer
1st wish of 2024: Alina's Favorite Things
by Kali Sherman
Alina loves getting dolled up in fancy dresses and shimmery makeup. She’s drawn to anything embellished in purple, pink, and/or sparkles.
“She was always the little princess,” says Alina’s mom, Lauren. “Super feminine. She just loves everything girly.”
One day in December 2019, the director of Alina's school called Lauren to report that Alina was limping. An X-ray revealed a fracture in Alina's left femur.
After Alina wore a cast for 17 days, a subsequent X-ray showed another fracture on the same leg. "The doctors couldn't understand how it was possible," Lauren recalls. Alina spent the following month in a wheelchair and lost 10 percent of her body weight.
During this time, Alina also started experiencing stomach pain, bedwetting, and hot flashes. She drank ice water around the clock to cool herself down. These symptoms prompted her doctors to schedule an MRI, which revealed eight lesions on Alina's left hip.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures, Alina's doctor requested a follow-up scan six weeks later. The second scan revealed that the original eight lesions had grown three millimeters each, and six new lesions had grown on her right hip bone.
I was in a complete state of terror.
Lauren
Alina's mom
"I was in a complete state of terror," says Lauren. Lauren requested a biopsy of the lesions for her daughter, but due to Alina’s elevated blood pressure and heart rate the anesthesiologist advised against going into surgery. A CT scan was then ordered and showed a large mass in Alina's abdomen. Two days later, Alina was officially diagnosed with stage 4 high-risk Neuroblastoma.
Alina holds her stuffed Minnie Mouse after completing her fifth round of chemotherapy at the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco in August 2020.
Alina's treatment started at Kaiser Permanente Oakland and then moved to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco. Over the next 18 months, Alina spent more than 200 days and nights in the hospital. Alina's treatment plan included aggressive chemotherapy that resulted in high-tone hearing loss as well as hair loss. Alina also received an experimental radioactive treatment called MIBG that followed with four days of complete isolation in a lead-lined room.
Afterward, Alina traveled to Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego where she spent three weeks receiving daily radiation to her primary tumor site in her abdomen. Then Alina returned to UCSF Benioff for a bone marrow transplant that required a 45-day inpatient stay. Afterward, Alina and her mom had to move into a rental home for six months so that she could be in complete isolation.
Although Alina’s parents are separated, Alina’s father, Sean, moved back in in order to take care of Alina’s siblings while Lauren was at the hospital with Alina.
During their many overnight stays at UCSF, the two would watch Alina’s favorite Disney shows and movies to brighten their time. Alina especially loved anything featuring Minnie Mouse!
After Alina’s initial 18 months of frontline treatment at UCSF Benioff, she received additional experimental treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. This treatment was focused on immunotherapy and reducing the risk of relapse which is a staggering 50% in neuroblastoma patients. So far Alina and her mother have made 15 trips to New York to partake in this cutting-edge immunotherapy vaccine trial.
“Alina was not around children for years,” says Lauren. “There was no traveling, no nothing. Her norm was being in the hospital and in a hospital bed.”
Alina dressed up as Minnie Mouse for Halloween during treatment in October of 2020.
Alina wearing her superhero cape showing her superhero strength—it was her first day standing after six days in bed from intense treatment at UCSF in September 2020.
After a long day at the hospital in July 2020, Alina made the best of the day by throwing on her princess dress and playing with her siblings.
Alina, during treatment, playing in the UCSF playroom in November of 2020.
Alina and her medical team at UCSF celebrate her discharge from the hospital following a bone marrow transplant in November 2020.
To celebrate Alina's birthday and finishing her treatment, Lauren brought Alina and her siblings to play at a water park. In the past, Alina couldn't enjoy the water slides because of the double lumen broviac in her chest, so she’d sit on the side and watch her siblings and other children play in the water. After many years of anticipation, Alina couldn't get enough of being able to join in on the fun!
Shortly after that day, Alina found out she'd receive a wish. She knew for sure her wish would involve Disney but wasn’t sure what would be exactly right. One of Alina’s volunteer wish granters, Steve Spatz mentioned Aulani and began to describe the pools and water slides.
“Alina’s eyes completely lit up,” said Lauren. “I never even knew that resort existed, but it incorporated all of those things that Alina absolutely loved. It just seemed like everything aligned.”
It incorporated all of those things that Alina absolutely loved. It just seemed like everything aligned.
Lauren
Alina's mom
When it came time for Alina's wish, Alina's parents, and her siblings packed their bags and set off for the tropical paradise!
Once in Oahu, the family enjoyed a fun-filled week together, celebrating Alina being out of treatment and the first time on a vacation together in seven years! It was also Alina’s first visit to Hawaii.
"Everything went super smoothly,” says Lauren. “It was as smooth as possible, just the way it was all set up. It was amazing.” Alina and her siblings spent a ton of time in the pools and on the water slides at the resort. They also loved snorkeling and spotting marine life—they saw dolphins and even a sea turtle the size of a small car!
Alina and her family spent a day crafting light-up Mickey Mouse ears to wear around the resort. They also enjoyed a breakfast buffet where Disney characters stopped by throughout the meal to give Alina hugs and greetings. Then came the highlight for Alina—a private meeting with the character she loves the most—Minnie Mouse!
Alina during her private meet-and-greet at Aulani with her favorite character, Minnie Mouse!
Aulani enjoying the beautiful beach in Hawaii!
Alina with Mickey Mouse during her private character meet-and-greet at Aulani.
Alina with her family and Mickey Mouse during her wish to go to Aulani.
"It was just a beautiful trip," says Lauren. "It was amazing, and spectacular, and Alina’s six-year-old brother writes about it every week in his school writing assignments. I think that's just a testament to how kindness and goodness have a rippling effect on everybody. It wasn't just a trip for Alina. It was clearly a trip for all of us to reconnect after all that."
Thank you, Marti Pozzi and Jim Congdon, for generously adopting Alina's wish!