In May 2006, Dayssi was diagnosed with leukemia in her lymphoblasts, which are blood cells produced in the bone marrow.

Initially, her parents thought Dayssi had twisted her ankle because she was experiencing pain. After consulting a doctor and undergoing a series of blood tests, they discovered the leukemia. For treatment, Dayssi took oral medication daily, went to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford for chemotherapy weekly, and received intravenous spinal medication monthly. "It's been a pretty tough year," said Dayssi's mom, Deborah, in a 2007 interview with Palo Alto Daily News.

When Dayssi was referred for a wish, she knew exactly what she wanted. There wasn't a bigger fan of tutus, twirling, and ballerinas than 4-year-old Dayssi!

"She has always loved dance, in particular the kind of glamour and style of ballet," said Dayssi's father, James. "She probably has at least a dozen tutus."

Dayssi's wish to meet a real ballerina was the chapter's 4,5000th wish granted. Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area partnered with the San Francisco Ballet to make this special wish come true. Dayssi and her family were invited to the San Francisco Ballet for the 4,500th celebration and wish reveal, where Dayssi received a new tutu and a personalized bag full of ballerina-themed goodies. Dayssi and her sister danced around the facilities in their special tutus, ate ballet-themed cupcakes, and even got in a little bar practice!

Then, in December 2007, Dayssi and her family were transported by limousine to a performance of The Nutcracker at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. After watching the stunning fairytale performance, the family was escorted backstage for a behind-the-scenes tour of the set and were treated to falling snow ordered just for Dayssi. Her magical wish was complete when principal dancer, Lorena Feijoo, met with Dayssi and gave her a private dance lesson.

Her mom, Deborah, said Dayssi could not stop talking about her wish day. "There are a lot of families like us fighting childhood cancer and hoping for a miracle," Deborah said. "These wishes feel like a miracle."