I wish to have a makeover
Ariel, wish granted in 2015
lymphoma
Our 7,000th wish: Ariel gets her hair back
At age 15, Ariel was a glam enthusiast. She loved trying out different makeup styles and dressing up in fashionable clothes. And her crowning glory was her beautiful head of hair.
“Ariel adored her hair,” says Ariel’s mom, Sue. “She had this gorgeous, long, brown, thick, wavy hair—that was her favorite attribute about herself.”
In 2015, Ariel's life took an unexpected turn when everyday activities became more tiring, and she started losing weight inexplicably. Shortly afterward, she experienced unexplained itching, even in her eyeballs.
Sue took Ariel to the doctor's office, where Ariel underwent a CT scan that revealed a mass in her chest. After a biopsy on the tumor, Ariel learned she had Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Ariel had to forgo her summer plans and prepare for treatment. She knew her world was about to change, and she was prepared to give up a lot, except her hair. Ariel and Sue dedicated weeks to researching alternatives to prevent her from losing her hair during chemotherapy.
They found a therapeutic device that is a cooling cap filled with frozen liquid. The cap goes on the scalp, and the cold temporarily limits blood flow to the hair follicles, decreasing the impact of chemotherapy chemicals on the scalp and lessening the risk of hair loss. However, a drawback is that this method may make chemotherapy less effective, raising the chance of the cancer returning.
After much thought and deliberation, Sue allowed Ariel to use the cool caps.
“She didn’t want to lose her hair,” says Sue. “That was the one thing she wanted. And so, I investigated this thing. I had to fight for this treatment for her because she was under eighteen and we received a lot of pushback.”
She didn’t want to lose her hair. That was the one thing she wanted.
Sue
Ariel's mom
Once Ariel began her chemotherapy treatment, she started her first session with the cooling cap. After the caps froze for hours in an oversized cooler, Ariel and her mother placed one on her scalp.
"Imagine going through chemo and having a block of ice on your head for five hours," says Sue, "And she did it for the first two hours, and then it was too much. She said, 'Mom, I can't do this. I can't—this is so awful.' I told her, 'It's okay. You don't have to do it.' So, we took it off and stopped the whole process."
Ariel underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, spending five nights in the hospital with each round of treatment. She also lost all her beautiful hair.
“Ariel’s treatment was the worst time in our family's life,” Sue says. “It was such a scary, out-of-control experience. You are watching your child be sick and feel awful, and not knowing if they are going to survive—there really is nothing worse.”
After Ariel completed her treatment, her hair began to slowly grow back. Sue had already been volunteering with Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area as a wish granter, never imagining she would become a wish mom herself. But she knew the power of a wish come true. When thinking about ideas of what her wish could be, Sue recalls, "Ariel just wanted one day to feel normal again—she wanted her hair back."
So Ariel wished to have a makeover and get hair extensions.
Ariel just wanted one day to feel normal again—she wanted her hair back.
Sue
Ariel's mom
Ariel after receiving her makeover and hair extensions during her wish day in 2015.
“As a parent, when you watch your child suffer,” says Sue, “all you want is to take away their pain, so, giving her a day of pampering with clothes and makeup was such a huge treat.”
Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area worked with a professional hair stylist, a famous makeup artist, and a professional photographer to come up with the perfect wish day for Ariel.
When it came time for Ariel's wish, her hair had grown a few inches, just long enough to add in extensions. On Ariel's big day, she and her mother were picked up in a luxurious limousine and brought Macy’s in Union Square in San Francisco for a day of pampering. After a full pedicure and manicure experience and hours with a professional makeup artist, it was time for Ariel's hair extensions.
“It was an incredible day,” says Sue, “The hair stylist was amazing and the makeup artist was truly wonderful. My favorite memory of that day was seeing Ariel come out of the hair salon with her beautiful hair extensions and a huge smile.”
Ariel's new hair extensions matched the long, thick brown hair she had before her treatment. After Ariel got all dolled up, it was time for the photoshoot.
"That was Ariel's favorite part, the photoshoot," says Sue. "To this day, she loves having photos taken of herself, and we still have the photos from that day."
The day ended with a shopping spree at Macy's, and Ariel picked out new clothes and makeup. All combined, it allowed her to return to her glamorous self.
“We just forgot about her troubles and enjoyed the day,” says Sue. “The whole day was magical. It made her feel normal again.”
Ariel’s wish marked a significant milestone for Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area as it was the 7,000th wish granted in our chapter's history. Eleven years later, Ariel is thriving, happily married, raising a one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, and thinking about a second addition to the family.
Sue has continued on as a volunteer wish granter and recently passed her own milestone, 25 years of bringing hope and joy to wish kids like Ariel.
Reflecting on her experience as a wish granter and wish mom, Sue shares, "A wish gives kids joy during a horrible time and allows them to feel normal in a very scary world, and I wanted to help contribute to that. I feel honored to be intimately connected to these families and to be a part of their joy through experiencing a wish. It’s truly life changing.”