I wish to go to the Walt Disney World® Resort (wish granted at age 7)
Paige
19
leukemia
My Life Now: Paiges's wish brought her family together
When Paige was five years old, she started showing signs of extreme exhaustion and was bruising easily.
Her mom took her to the nearest hospital because she did not know why her once playful daughter could barely get out of bed and struggled to stay awake at school. Many diagnostic tests were performed, and Paige’s family was referred to Children’s Minnesota where she finally received a diagnosis: Paige had leukemia.
During Paige’s leukemia treatment, there was a big shift in her family dynamic. “It was hard for my parents, who struggled to see me sad and in pain,” explained Paige. “My sisters couldn’t be my parents’ top priority, and it was hard for them to not have as much time with them, or with all of us as a family.” When Paige wasn’t feeling well because of her treatment she missed out on school, time with friends and many celebrations.
Make-A-Wish Minnesota was honored to be part of Paige’s healing process, and her wish granters worked closely with Paige to plan her wish to go to the Walt Disney World® Resort when she was seven. The experience of looking beyond treatment and thinking about joyful things to do as a family gave them all something positive to rally around. “Going on my wish trip brought us all closer together,” remembers Paige. “To this day I have a tighter bond with my sisters and parents because of my wish.”
Paige is just one of thousands of Minnesota wish children that survived their diagnosis to go on and live full and healthy lives.
My wish helped free us from the pressure of treatment and bonded our family together by creating stress-free memories that will
last a lifetime.
- Wish Alum Paige
Research has shown that a wish experience can be a game-changer in the fight to return to health. In Paige’s case, she equates her wish experience to her positive outlook on life today.
Now 19 years old, Paige graduated from high school and is currently a freshman at the University of Minnesota, majoring in Business and Marketing. She loves going to sporting events on campus, collecting sneakers, playing golf, traveling, and hanging out with her sisters and dogs.
Paige’s family continues to wish it forward after her wish, with compassion and a desire to give back extending beyond Paige herself. This winter, with Paige’s encouragement and to the delight of Make-A-Wish staff, we were honored to welcome a new intern
to our team...Paige’s sister, Sydney!