I wish to have a stereo
Dayna
leukemia
Dayna's Wish to have a Stereo
Dayna Adam is an involved volunteer in the Iowa City area. Over the last decade, she has helped grant the wishes of numerous children and assisted in the planning of key fundraising events in her community. Volunteering for Make-A-Wish Iowa is very personal for Dayna because she has experienced the power of a wish firsthand.
The summer after her freshman year of high school, Dayna was diagnosed with leukemia. While most teenagers are focusing on learning how to drive, Dayna was fighting cancer. Dayna's battle was not easy, she missed 60 days of her sophomore year of high school and lost all her hair.
She felt like she was missing out on a normal high school experience. Her days were filled with treatments, appointments and hospital visits. It was during one of her many hospital stays in Iowa City when Dayna first learned about Make-A-Wish Iowa, “I didn’t think too much of it, initially, because it didn’t seem real,” she remembers. “I could wish for almost anything and this organization would make it come true? That’s not what my life was about at that time and it just didn’t seem possible.”
After careful consideration, Dayna wished for a brand-new Kenwood Stereo. The stereo was equipped with a CD changer, turntable and large speakers. She thought it was the perfect addition to her room while she recovered. "I remember lying in bed and watching the lights on my stereo. The remote control allowed me to manage the controls from my bed – that was huge,” Dayna said. “Music was an escape for me from all that was going on. Make-A-Wish Iowa made me feel like I was important and that I deserved to be happy. It provides an opportunity to forget about all that is going on and makes dreams come true.”
Dayna still thinks about her wish years after her recovery and she still has her stereo 20 years later. She says she especially remembers her wish when helping children determine their wish. Her favorite memory of her wish was “realizing that even though I was going through something so awful and unfair, there was still good in this world. I now know how precious life is and appreciate it every day. It is funny how so much good can come out of something so bad.”
As Make-A-Wish Iowa celebrates its' 35th anniversary, we hope to grant the wish of every child battling a critical illness in Iowa. Help us by donating today toward wishes granted tomorrow.