For 20-year-old wish kid Margaret, life is all about being present. An old soul with an appreciation for art, culture, and beauty, she feels all the moments of her life deeply—from those that enriched her as a theater student and aspiring artist before her diagnosis to those that challenged her as a teenager turned-cancer patient.

This spring, after nearly three years of chemotherapy, surgeries, and seemingly endless time spent in the confines of a hospital bed fighting lymphoma, Margaret found herself in a different sort of moment. Instead, she sat on the bank of a taro patch on Oahu’s north shore, taking a short break from pulling weeds from the lo‘i behind her, learning about Hawaii’s agriculture.

She felt comforted, painless, and at peace. Margaret’s wish to visit Hawaii responsibly and respectfully had led to this moment, one part of a meaningful day spent at Nā Mea Kūpono Learning Center, a six-acre educational wetland taro patch in Waialua.

Nā Mea Kūpono board member and secretary Felicita Garrido, known affectionately as Aunty Ku‘uipo, welcomed Margaret, her family, and numerous Make-A-Wish Hawaii team members to the farm to mālama ‘āina. Together, everyone enjoyed an a hupua‘a lesson, worked the lo‘i, rinsed off in the punawai, and played Hawaiian games.

This ‘taro-py’ came not long after Margaret had rung the bell signifying her last cancer treatment. Her wish came at the perfect time, giving Margaret the opportunity to make memories with her family after a long and difficult journey.

“Life is all about helping others and connecting to them. We utilized the natural environment to do just that,” explains Aunty Ku‘uipo. “Something magical happens when you step into the lo‘i. We call it ‘taro-py.’”

“To see such a beautiful place and learn about the culture with such a rich history not only cheered me up but inspired me again,” she says.

Now, back home in Illinois, Margaret is navigating her newly cancer-free life with hope and excitement. She is applying to college where she plans to study theater arts, she is discovering new artforms like painting and crocheting, and she can often be found reading about Hawaii.

To learn how you can support helping to grant more wishes please visit hawaii.wish.org.