"She is remarkable," said her dad, Kevin. "Every burden and challenge she faces is just another way for her to show us how incredible she is."

The 8-year-old, from Salem, loves spending her days with a good book, digging in the backyard, and exploring Oregon’s many hiking trails.

"I love all the mountain views, and all the nature, and all the cute butterflies," said Sammy. 

She’s endlessly interested in the world around her, from the wonders of nature to the mysteries of the human body.

“I love her love of learning and her can-do attitude," said her mom, Julie. "She's just so special and we will just walk this journey with her."

An Unexpected Journey

When Sammy was born, her family says everything seemed normal. But hours later, their world shifted. 

"One of the nurses just said, 'she's looking a little bit dusky. She has this purplish hue to her,'" said Kevin. "They took her to the nursery to check on her oxygen levels and then we got the news that she had a heart defect."

"I have a special heart," said Sammy. "It's hypoplastic right side. So that means it's a crazy commotion in there and that the blood is moving everywhere." 

"We went from being a brand-new family of three with all of the hopes and joys that come on the day your daughter is born, to a whole bunch of fears," said Kevin.

At just three days old, Sammy suffered a stroke that resulted in the manifestation of cerebral palsy.

"That was the first domino that fell, and then many more dominoes have fallen since then," said Julie.

Her family says Sammy has faced countless challenges, 11 surgeries, including two open-heart procedures, along with weekly medical appointments and therapy sessions.

“With a congenital heart defect, there is no cure,” said Kevin. “There is no end in sight."

For Sammy’s family, worry has become a constant undercurrent. They are in the doctor's office or therapy clinic at least three times a week.

"It's hard to sit on the phone and schedule doctor's appointments and echocardiograms and blood draws when my mom friends are on the phone scheduling playdates and soccer games," said Julie. 

Still, they seek joy in the hard and celebrate the small wins when they come. Through it all, Sammy's positivity shines.

A Break from the Worry

Sammy’s family was familiar with Make-A-Wish Oregon, but they did not realize she qualified for a wish. 

“Sammy had a Fontan procedure, which is something that we learned makes her eligible her for a wish,” said Julie. “I think we had always thought that Make-A-Wish was for terminally ill kids, but it’s not. It’s for kids with a critical illness, or a life-limiting condition, and that’s where we’re at.”

When Sammy learned she could wish for anything, she dreamed of becoming a park ranger. 

“I love helping people and being outdoors,” she said. “A park ranger is just a complete mix of the two. Boom!"

The only question that remained was where she would be sworn in as a park ranger, and for that, Sammy turned to books for inspiration.

"She went to the library and checked out a whole bunch of books on national parks, and then she just spread them out, and pointed to the Grand Tetons and said, that's where I want to go," said Kevin. 

“It’s everything she loves all in one place,” Julie added.

From that day forward, Sammy's focus shifted from treatments to the joy of adventure. She spent months studying maps, researching trails, and dreaming about all of the places she’d explore on the trip.

"It was wonderful for that to be the focus." said Julie. 

Ranger Day

The night before Ranger Day, Sammy could barely sleep. 

"I woke up super excited and I was like, let’s go, let's go, hup two, three, four!” she said.

The superintendent of Grand Teton National Park personally swore Sammy in as the park’s newest Junior Ranger. Beaming with pride, she took the oath, handed out maps, and answered visitor questions, just like a real ranger.

"It was actually amazeballs," said Sammy. "I’ll never, ever, ever forget working behind the counter. Handing out maps and helping the other kids was my dream," she added. 

Sammy led a class for her peers, went bear tracking, explored official park vehicles, and playfully arrested her dad.

The Power of a Wish

For Sammy’s family, her wish was more than a trip, it was a rare pause in a life filled with appointments and uncertainty. 

“It was a magical experience to have those days in the park, to have the time in nature. I felt relaxed and relieved that and I could just focus on Sammy as my daughter, not Sammy as a medical patient," said Julie. "We were just a family, on a family trip, having the most amazing time."

For the first time, in a long time, Sammy and her family felt free to just be. 

"We feel constantly on the outside looking in at what typical families get to do. This trip allowed for us to forget about that for a moment and just live," said Kevin.

"An organization like Make-A-Wish helps families and kids that the rest of the world sees as different. But then you break down those barriers and love families for who they are, for where they are, in ways they've maybe never felt before. And that is what I think Make-A-Wish is really about. Providing that love and care that families really need, and that's in turn what provides that hope."

For Sammy, that hope became a well of renewed strength and energy for the journey ahead.