When Georgia’s wish to be a cartoon voiceover came true in 2015, she had no idea that a royalty would be part of the experience. Giving back to Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic has been a full-circle opportunity for this wish alum to share the joy of a wish with other kids who are now battling critical illnesses.

Days before her 10th birthday, Georgia from Worton, MD was diagnosed with an extremely rare liver cancer. She immediately started an intense chemotherapy regimen and had to undergo surgery before going into remission approximately six months later.

At the time, Georgia was a huge fan of the Disney cartoon Gravity Falls. It held a special place in her heart since she and her siblings bonded watching it together. Making a wish was an easy decision: Georgia wished to be a character on the show. In March 2015, one year after her treatment ended, the wish that had given Georgia something positive to focus on during her difficult days was about to come true.

Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic picked up Georgia and her family in a limo and flew them to Los Angeles to meet with the show’s creator, Alex Hirsch, and tour the studio where the TV magic happened. Georgia was excited to see every step of the animation process. Georgia got to experiment with animating, she and her siblings had fun playing around in the sound booth, and Georgia was even able to record a line of dialogue. The animators designed her character as “Girl with bow”, due to Georgia’s love of wearing hair bows, and the resemblance is unmistakable. She received an autographed photo of her character, and the character of “Dipper” - voiced by Jason Ritter - also recorded a video message for Georgia to treasure forever.

When the episode premiered, Georgia’s family hosted a watch party in their backyard, inviting her classmates and community to celebrate with her. Georgia’s tight-knit school showed amazing support during her medical journey. Many of her classmates shaved their heads in solidarity when she was going through her cancer treatments. Georgia was amazed to see her animated self and her name in the end credits. “I felt like I was in a movie!”, she said.

Georgia still thinks back on her wish fondly and re-watches the episode (season 2, #14, on Disney+) whenever she wants to relive the day. “I watch it all the time!”, she said.

The journey of a critical illness impacts the entire family. For Georgia’s parents Todd and Julie, the wish was a bright spot that let the entire family enjoy quality time together after months of emotional and mental turmoil. Todd believes the Make-A-Wish trip was “one of the greatest life experiences” the family has shared together.

“Alex and the entire team at Gravity Falls really went above and beyond, not only for Georgia, but also to include all of us. My favorite part of the wish was to see all my kids light up – it made me light up!”

Georgia is now a thriving high school senior, still cancer-free and doing well. She’s been a part of many clubs and sports over the years and is currently deciding on colleges.

“She was a little girl when she went into this, and she came out as a young lady,” Todd said.

And Georgia continues to inspire others – with one amazing example being a gift to Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic.

Since Georgia was a credited voice actor for the show, she received royalty payments for her episode that were protected until she turned 18. She considered the experience to be gift enough and wanted to pay it forward. So, in December, Georgia selflessly donated her $1,750 in royalties back to help grant wishes for other local children.

Todd and Julie matched the gift in Georgia’s honor. “Georgia’s wish was unbelievable. Make-A-Wish did something that others can’t do. We were granted something that we never could have provided to Georgia on our own, so we wanted to give back to other wish kids with something that’s out of reach for them, and provide other families that same experience,” Julie said.

Georgia hopes to inspire current and future wish children even further with this wish-choosing advice: “We’re really lucky to have the opportunity to have wishes. Be creative and use your imagination. Do something you'll never forget."