Michael & Carley Hill: Wishing It Forward
Carley Hill was an active, happy toddler, but like toddlers often do, she got sick. “She just didn’t have much energy,” recalls her father, Michael Hill. “We also noticed bruising and red dots that went away almost as fast as they came.” While at church, Carley didn’t want to walk. “That was really unlike her. My wife, Dale, and I decided that day to take her to the doctor first thing Monday morning.”
Michael and Dale took Carley to her pediatrician, and after examining her, he seemed to know what the problem was. “Her doctor sent us to Batson (Blair Batson Children’s Hospital), and we got the diagnosis we dreaded.” Carley was two years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia.
By the time she was three, Carley was accustomed to being in and out of the hospital. “We knew about Make-A-Wish®,” says Michael. “We got connected with the organization through our social worker at Batson.” Carley was three when she was asked what she’d like for her wish. “We were told to stay out of it and just let Carley talk,” Michael laughs.
Carley talked all right, and she told representatives from Make-A-Wish® Mississippi that she wanted to be a dog. “I do remember that,” laughs Carley. “When they told me that I couldn’t be a dog, I asked for Pop-Tarts®!” It was suggested to Carley that she might like to go to Disney World, and she liked that idea.
She was still young, four years old, when Carley went to Disney World with her parents, and her older brother, Reagan. “We stayed at Give Kids the World,” recalls Carley. “I remember the hotel. It was amazing. I also remember distinctly that I got to have ice cream for breakfast!” And waiting for her in her hotel room was a basket full of Pop-Tarts®.
Michael says that while at Give Kids the World, the family got to meet and talk with its founder, Henry Wentwirth, a holocaust survivor who wanted to do something special for critically ill children and their families. “He went every Saturday to the Give Kids the World ice cream shop (which was open 24 hours a day!) to visit the kids. Meeting him was a special experience for us.”
Carley attended Brandon High School, where she participated in the Health Sciences Academy. “I have always liked science and I know how special nurses have been in my life. My uncle always told me I’d make a great nurse. I went through the end of high school doubting that, because I knew it would be a hard road. Going through that academy helped me figure out what I really want to do.” Carley is currently in the nursing program at William Carey College in Hattiesburg. “I want to be a pediatric oncology nurse.”
Sometimes when a person goes through a traumatic event, they want to put it behind them and move on. But not Carley and Michael. It’s been a long time since Carley was a patient at Batson, but she has returned to the children’s hospital as a volunteer in the activity room. “My boss worked there when I was a patient.” Knowing she wants to help kids any way she can, Carley says she knows that nursing is the way she can connect. “I’m so happy with my decision.” Michael now serves on the Board of Directors of Make-A-Wish. He is a CPA at BKD, LLP, a firm which encourages community involvement. “I looked at a list of organizations and Make-A-Wish® popped up. That was so personal to me, and I’m happy I can serve in this capacity so that other children can have their wishes fulfilled.”