To the casual observer, Deja looks like a typical kid who enjoys normal teenager things like shopping, cooking, going to the beach, eating sushi, and hanging out with friends and family. Her favorite hobbies are golf, Frisbee golf, picnics, and volleyball. She recently took her driver’s test and got a part-time job, traditional rites of the American teenager.

You’d never guess that she spent 13 days in the ICU, having part of her lung removed or that there were so many complications that she had to undergo multiple surgeries to ensure her survival.

The good news is that Deja is now cancer-free. The bad news is that she will need to go in for routine screenings for the rest of her life. For the time being, she will even need to have a check-up with her doctor to get cleared for a check-up from her dentist.

When Deja was given a wish, she picked Hawaii. “I have been to Hawaii, and I loved it there,” she wrote. “I want to go back and have fun with everyone.”

Deja’s wish was granted during World Wish Month 2025 and Make-A-Wish® Idaho likes to pull out all the stops to celebrate the organization’s anniversary, so Make-A-Wish staff threw Deja and her family a Hawaiian-themed party at TopGolf in Meridian.

A duo of TopGolf employees disguised as inflatable sharks and several TopGolf staffers in a straw beachcomber hats and one who was seemingly riding an inflatable pink flamingo surprised Deja and her family with congratulations and well-wishes before providing everyone with Hawaiian luau beachcomber hats of their own as well as neon-colored sunglasses. For dinner, there was a Hawaiian buffet-style meal that everyone could enjoy while they played their favorite TopGolf games.  

It should be noted that every family who gets a wish can receive a wish celebration, but it is usually thrown by the wish-granting volunteers. During World Wish Month, the staff members who aren’t tasked with granting wishes on a daily basis, get their chance to create a little wish magic. 

Another thing our volunteers do that make wishes special is to throw airport send-offs for wish families, so Make-A-Wish Idaho staff threw one for Deja and her family.  The staff held up fun signs, took photos with the family, and wished the family, who were all bedecked in Make-A-Wish Idaho shirts, a safe and relaxing journey before they left for Hawaii.

In Hawaii, Deja and family went to the Polynesian Cultural Center where they enjoyed an authentic Hawaiian feast made with only local ingredients, including dishes like huli-huli chicken, fresh fish, and Kalua pork. Additionally, they also watched the HA: Breath of Life Show which tells the epic tale of Mana and Lani through music, dance, animation, special effects, and blazing fire knives.

Deja also enjoyed a catamaran and snorkeling tour where she and her family could swim near gorgeous coral reefs and view tropical fish, mysterious rays, and gorgeous green sea turtles. But the highlight of the catamaran tour may have been when Deja realized that she wasn’t the only wish kid on board. She met a young girl who was also a wish kid and the two took photos together. “It was a great moment,” her mom wrote.