Adelaide's Wish

When it comes to kindness and laughter, Adelaide is the person you want to have around. As leader of “Team Bald,” (a group she formed with kids and friends at school after losing her hair from chemo treatments) Adelaide is a true testament of strength. She makes the best out of any situation, and she’s seen her share of tough ones.

At 15 years old, Adelaide began experiencing severe headaches accompanied by vomiting, which eventually lead to a seizure that left her visually impaired. Adelaide and her mother rushed to the hospital where doctors discovered a brain tumor that was preventing fluid from draining from her brain. She was quickly life-flighted to Denver Children's Hospital where she was further diagnosed with a rare sarcoma in the brain. Adelaide began treatment right away, which included a year of radiation and chemotherapy, though the tumor reappeared just six months later.

Now, at 17 years old, Adelaide is having another round of chemotherapy, but that’s not going to stop her from graduating high school as planned in May or beating one of the strongest names in Hollywood at arm wrestling, the one and only, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

What led a girl from Cheyenne to such a contest? In December 2023, Make-A-Wish Wyoming granted Adelaide’s wish to meet The Rock. From the time Adelaide learned she would be going to meet The Rock, she began building her strength and sharpening her arm-wrestling skills. Adelaide’s determination proved to be effective as she beat The Rock at arm wrestling! After which, he commented on how “super strong” Adelaide was.

“He’s so strong, so I of course had to prove my strength. It wasn’t just about the arm wrestle though; The Rock was also so involved in my wish. He even sent us his famous French Toast on the first morning of our trip and one more time when we got back home to Cheyenne,” says Adelaide.

Adelaide’s trip to Los Angeles to meet The Rock also included a behind the scenes tour of Universal Studios. The Rock even participated in the trolley tour of the lot and attended a lunch buffet with her family. While they dined, The Rock spent time getting to know Adelaide and her family before testing his own strength against her and officially joining “Team Bald.”

“This trip was amazing. We got to meet so many other incredible wish families and kids and enjoy this community of Make-A-Wish families. Going through this experience teaches you about priorities in life and as The Rock talked with Adelaide, he expressed how important family is. The whole experience meeting The Rock just lifted us up. Adelaide’s journey has been tough and hard, but getting to enjoy this wish and feel the support of Make-A-Wish Wyoming has been so amazing. It has filled our bucket as a family,” said Adelaide’s mother, Earlynn.

Adelaide got to bring along her mom, uncle, and cousin to enjoy her wish trip. Together they cruised Sunset Boulevard, walked the Santa Monica Pier, and ate some of the best spaghetti they’ve ever had. Ultimately, it wasn’t just Adelaide’s arm-wrestling victory against a professional wrestler that restored hope, but the time spent with her family just enjoying life.

“This wish has really instilled the idea of family in me and having my family be my power has helped me get through treatments. Family is more than who you’re related to by blood. It’s the people around you, at school, at the hospital, the Make-A-Wish family, and now The Rock. This was unforgettable and the best trip ever, plus I did take him down in an arm wrestle,” said Adelaide.

Several kids across Wyoming, like Adelaide, are waiting for their life-changing wish to be granted. You can help restore hope for children battling critical illnesses by donating to Make-A-Wish Wyoming today wish.org/wyoming.