Six-year-old Paige is a girly girl, who loves practicing cartwheels and handstands, playing with baby dolls and Barbies, drawing pictures, and, of course, dreaming of one day becoming a mermaid. Watching her play with her protective older brother, Dane, Paige would appear just like any other kid in her kindergarten class.
What can’t be seen, however, is the courageous battle Paige began fighting two years ago, when she became increasingly weak from repeated illnesses that seemed like a long string of severe colds. Noticing abnormal signs in her daughter’s behavior, Paige’s mom sought medical help, insisting something was seriously wrong. After blood tests revealed an alarming low blood count, Paige was life-flighted from Anaconda, MT, to Logan Health Children’s in Kalispell, MT, for a blood transfusion and bone marrow biopsy. At age four, Paige was diagnosed with leukemia. “That was really tough to hear,” Amy recalls. “It was pretty scary in the beginning. Paige didn’t really know what was going on. All she knew was she didn’t feel well.”
Chemotherapy treatments, blood transfusions, and routine checkups became Paige’s everyday reality. Trips to Kalispell became a regular occurrence for the family as Paige underwent lumbar punctures, chemotherapy injections, and stem cell screenings.
A social worker talked with Paige’s family about Make-A-Wish during their stay in the hospital. The family knew of the organization, yet it never occurred to them that they would be on the receiving end of the wish granting. Busy and overwhelmed with appointments, Amy placed the idea of Make-A-Wish on the backburner, until she met a fellow mom whose son, Henry, was also undergoing treatment in Kalispell. Henry’s mom shared details about his recent wish trip. Encouraged by seeing photos of Henry’s wish to ride a train in Alaska, Amy reached out to Make-A-Wish South Dakota & Montana.
When Paige met with her volunteers for her wish discovery meeting, she didn’t hesitate about her wish idea for a moment. “Oh Paige knew,” Amy says, laughing. At that time, Paige loved wearing a shimmering purple and pink mermaid costume around the house and in the family hot tub. “She wanted to be a mermaid really badly.”
In the weeks leading up to her wish trip, Paige was filled with excitement. The anticipation of meeting an actual mermaid in a matter of days made it easier for her to go to school and have a brighter outlook on life.
Paige’s wish to go to Hawaii was filled with memorable moments for the entire family. Paige’s parents were returning to the destination of their honeymoon. Paige and Dane flew in an airplane for the first time, personally meeting the pilot and receiving a special announcement from the crew, welcoming the Make-A-Wish family on board. The family swam with dolphins and played in the ocean. Compared to the grey, cold Montana winters, they loved the beautiful colors of Hawaii and spending time on the beach soaking in the views.
Just watching the kids let the waves push them in and out was so fun. They were giggling and laughing so hard.
Wish Mom Amy
And, finally, Paige met a mermaid. Amy recalls, “Seeing the look on her face, actually getting to see a mermaid—it was heartwarming.” Though at first both nervous and shocked, Paige quickly warmed up to mermaid Serenity and received the chance to live out her wish. Spending time talking, swimming, and playing games in the water with Serenity, Paige loved feeling like a true mermaid.
Reflecting on the trip, Amy explains, “It was just an amazing thing to do, and Make-A-Wish is an amazing organization.” The family is grateful for how welcome everyone made them feel, from the flight to the hotel to the dolphin resort. “We were treated like royalty.”
The trip marked the two-year anniversary since Paige’s diagnosis and the conclusion of intensive treatment. A couple weeks after the wish trip, Paige traveled with her family to Kalispell for one final chemo treatment. Though regular check-ups will continue as doctors monitor the many side effects that result from being treated with chemo for so long, Paige and her family are celebrating that she is in remission and gets to return to living a life full of many more adventures.
