Diagnosed with severe inflammatory bowel disease, chronic illness reshaped her world, separating her from friends and school and placing her in a continuous cycle of treatments, surgeries and long hospital stays.

“I’ve missed more school than I’ve attended in my high school career,” Samantha shared. “It’s very isolating, going through everything that you go through when you’re sick.” 

As Samantha’s disease progressed, her family entered a particularly frightening chapter. 

“We were in a bad spot,” Stephanie recalled. “Nothing was working. We had tried everything.” 

It was during one of those moments, amid hospital visits, blood transfusions, and mounting uncertainty, that Samantha’s GI doctor introduced Make‑A‑Wish Arizona.

When Samantha was asked about her wish, the answer was clear.

Her wish, to go to Hawaii and see turtles, felt almost too good to be real. “Even when we were in the airport, I was like, ‘Is this really happening?’ I was in shock.” 

That disbelief melted the moment she arrived. “I saw the Hawaii breeze and the trees, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m actually in Hawaii.’ This does not feel real.”

Seeing sea turtles in person became a moment where childhood dreams and present‑day courage collided. “They were so big and so green and just beautiful, it was a pinch‑me moment. Little me would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, you got to live your doodles.’” 

For Stephanie, Hawaii revealed something even deeper. She saw a sense of peace in Samantha, watching her by the ocean, taking in the sunsets, fully present in each moment. Even rain on the day they visited Turtle Cove couldn’t dampen the experience. 

“She didn’t let the rain ruin it,” Stephanie said. “She was still smiling.” That time together reinforced what the family now holds closest, never taking a single moment for granted.

"We understand the importance of being together, being a family and taking advantage of every second that we have together,” she shared. 

“I just chose to go back to Hawaii, just live in Hawaii, think Hawaii. I’m really grateful that I have such memories to look back on.” 

Those memories now shape Samantha’s vision for the future. After spending so much time in children’s hospitals, she found inspiration in the nurses and doctors who cared for her. 

She now hopes to pursue a career in medicine so she can offer that same reassurance to others.

For Samantha and her family, Make‑A-Wish became a source of comfort during a time marked by uncertainty and challenge. 

“If anybody wanted to be a part of Make‑A‑Wish, just know that you’re a part of someone’s hope. You’re part of that light that’s going to help them and save them,” said Samantha.