When Elmira saw her wish for the first time, she let out a big, “Whoa” and a stunned gasp. The young cancer survivor couldn’t believe her eyes – this brand new camping trailer was all hers! She could imagine the adventures it would take her and her family on, the places they would see. It would become her safe space, a home away from home.

But Elmira wasn’t the only wish kid there for the big reveal.

Wish alum, Lana, was there with presents in hand to surprise Elmira and her family… because she helped make her wish come true.

Watching Elmira see her new camper for the first time brought back emotions of her own wish. While their wishes were quite different, she knew they felt the same. “It was super inspiring and emotional,” said Lana. “My wish meant everything to me, and now Elmira has her wish to enjoy.”

It was Lana’s music teacher, Julie Arlotta, who asked her to help her make Elmira’s wish extra special. Julie is a volunteer wish granter and four years ago, she helped make Lana’s wish to meet Simone Biles come true. Lana is a talented gymnast, who used her wish to not just meet Simone, but also tumble with her athletic hero. “It was the best moment of my life,” she said.

Julie asked Lana to take part in Elmira’s wish not just because she too is a wish kid, but because she saw how the pandemic impacted Lana emotionally. “Lana was totally remote last year throughout the pandemic because of her illness,” Julie said. “I had never seen her so down and wanted to connect her to something that would lift her spirits. Make-A-Wish was the perfect bridge to lift her up.”

Lana worked with her classmates for months, fundraising to help make Elmira’s wish come true, and giving her a special surprise. Her choir put together a video, singing for Elmira and offering her words of encouragement to keep her smiling during difficult times.

Lana’s mom, Meegan, said she saw a major difference in her daughter as she worked to wish it forward and help Elmira. “Mrs. A. is Lana’s backbone at school, and working on this Make-A-Wish project gave Lana the opportunity to bond with her classmates during a year when she really struggled with anxiety and her illness.”

Lana and Julie are now determined to keep the momentum going. They are already brainstorming ideas for their next fundraiser and engagement project for Make-A-Wish. As Lana continues to thrive, the thing she looks forward to most about her eighth-grade year is what she can do next.

“I want to keep inspiring and keep helping to make wishes come true, because I want every wish kid to feel happy, like I did, and have their lives changed the way mine was,” Lana said.