Shore Finds Hope in the Snow
The 9-year-old Hawaii native dreamt of seeing snow. What she received was so much more.
Shore and her family are surrounded by cold snow but feel warm in their hearts.
In Hawaiian, “mana’olana” means hope. For 9-year-old Shore, hope means feeling normal again – playing and laughing with her family and friends. Diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma at 8 years old, Shore faced a difficult battle that most children her age don’t have to experience. One day she was seemingly healthy with no symptoms, the next day she wasn’t able to breathe. This started her journey spending days at a time in the hospital until her family received the cancer diagnosis.
The diagnosis naturally caused heaviness in Shore and her family’s hearts, but it didn’t stop Shore’s love and excitement for adventure. As a Hawaii native, Shore dreamed of one day seeing snow for the first time. The possibility, however, paled in comparison to her current reality of radiation treatments and chemotherapy. Little did they know that Shore’s one wish would provide them the hope and the encouragement they needed to fight her cancer.
Working with Make-A-Wish®, Shore, her parents and four siblings all traveled together to Utah for a snow experience of a lifetime. These types of trips had become rare for the family of six as Shore already had to travel for her medical treatments. They were looking forward to this adventure and the much-needed family bonding time. To create even more solidarity and show that they were in this together, Shore’s family shaved their heads before the wish trip.
When Shore and her family arrived in Utah, they were greeted with much more than just snow. The support from the community to make this an unforgettable experience was overwhelming. The family made snowballs and snow angels, feeling the wetness of the snow on their skin. They took winding car rides, snowboarding lessons and tours of the famous Ice Castles. It was a magical winter wonderland.
“To see your child smiling and laughing, just having so much fun all day, this experience brought our family together and happy,” said Jazmin. “Shore was given wings in the form of a wish … it’s amazing to see your child fly.”
Today, Shore is in remission and the memory of her wish still makes her smile ear-to-ear. That day filled the family with hope and continues to impact their everyday lives – even discussions of another visit to see snow. The experience also sparked a desire to pay it forward, and the family is looking for their own opportunities to bring others that same hope and joy.