Hi, Make-A-Wish® friends and family!

My name is Lily. I was diagnosed with a ganglioglioma brain tumor and underwent surgery to have it removed in 2016. In 2019, I became a Make-A-Wish kid. This is my story. Spring and Summer of 2016, I noticed the functioning of my left arm behaving differently. I would feel pins and needles in my arm and other times my arm felt like it wasn’t really there. I became really concerned about this feeling when, in fitness class, I dropped a bar of weights on my chest. That summer I slowly lost my appetite and became fatigued.

 I never felt like I could get enough sleep. One night, while at a friend’s, I had my first grand mal seizure. I blacked-out in one room and woke up with paramedics and my dad leaning over me in another. I was confused; I didn’t know what happened. I did see everyone look concerned and worried, so I asked my friend if SHE was ok. She was wondering the exact same about me. My dad took me to the emergency room, and while waiting for an MRI to open up, I had another seizure in my hospital bed.

The MRI showed a mass on my motor strip skills, controlling my left arm. About a week after the imaging and the consultation with my neurosurgeon, I underwent my brain surgery. I honestly felt like the process was moving faster than I could comprehend it. It seemed when we were going over the surgery details, I was just accepting my diagnosis, and when they were preparing me for surgery, I didn’t feel like it was real; some sort of denial I was going through even on the operating table.

My surgery took two and a half hours, and it was a success! I went months without eating, but right after my surgery, I asked for the biggest hamburger loaded with bacon and felt thrilled I could eat! They felt comfortable releasing me that day and spent a good month on bed rest at home. Three weeks post-surgery, my biopsy came back, and I cried so many happy tears hearing my tumor is benign!

After my surgery, I had another MRI to see how things are looking and healing up. My oncologists Dr. Chang and Dr. Nick at St. Luke’s Pediatric Oncology gave me the good news that everything looked great and gave me the even better news that I qualified to be a Make-A-Wish kid.

Thank you, Dr. Chang, Dr. Nick, all St Luke’s staff, and The Make-A-Wish Foundation for your care! Make-A-Wish Idaho sent two wish granters to my house. I received an activity book, and I brainstormed with them over what I would like my wish to be!

I wanted to experience something new. I loved the Hobbit movies, more specifically, where they were filmed. I thought the set and nature were gorgeous! I did my research and found they were filmed in New Zealand, so I wished to go there! In a short amount of time, the Make-A-Wish Foundation sent me there for a week and a half with a whole itinerary of activities. I explored Hobbit holes and ate lunch on the movie set. I went zip-lining and visited war and history museums. I learned a lot about the Maori culture and got to sightsee and hike a ton in a country I’ve never been to! The Foundation really put a glass slipper on me and turned my pumpkin into a chariot; I will forever be thankful.

It is hard to pick a favorite part about my trip because it all was really healing for me. It was a huge light at the end of a very dark tunnel. I did get bullied in high school post-surgery. I had a pretty big visible scar and a weird bald spot on the side of my head which does attract a lot of unwanted attention. I got called Frankenstein in the hallways and honestly, much worse jokes were said but that all seemed to vanish when I received my gift from Make-A-Wish. I did take a bit of New Zealand home with me; I got a native tattoo there. I saw one recurring Maori symbol everywhere. I started to take it as a sign, looked up the meaning of it and found it represents the presence of guardian angels. I permanently wear my wish, my experience, and my angels on my sleeve.

Now I am a healthy twenty-three-year-old living a life full of gratitude! I do have my maintenance MRIs to track its growth because they weren’t able to remove all the tumor by surgery. The last MRI I had in March of this year, showed I am cleared for another 5-7 years! After 4 years, I still think about the experience I was given by Make-A-Wish and now, if I can't donate my money, I would love to donate my time to the foundation. I am in the process of becoming a volunteer. I’d love to be a wish granter! I would love to even work for the foundation just because I hold them so close to my heart.

To anyone who is dealing with a tough diagnosis or is supporting someone else going through a rough medical experience, just know you are not alone! You are loved! The toughest battles are given to the strongest warriors! I am so, so, so, proud of you! You have no idea how many people you are inspiring just by being you!