Lily's Wish

Lily is a fierce 6-year-old girl who’s stubborn in the best ways. Lily knows what she likes and is not afraid to go for it. She’s an outdoor girl with a strong imagination; so, when it came time to choose a wish from Make-A-Wish Wyoming, she decided her ultimate adventure would be an RV camping trip with her loved ones.

Lily’s condition is a genetic mutation in her POLG-1 gene, which can present in many ways, but for Lily it presented as Alpers Disease. Despite her progressive condition, Lily lets nothing stand in her way. In fact, her wish list had a number of exciting adventures, but the RV camping trip was her top choice. Not only did she want to camp in an RV but she wanted to visit family and be a paleontologist. Lily’s wish combined her ultimate adventure musts, and it proved to be one amazing wish!  

In July, with her family in tow, Lily hit the road to Hot Springs, South Dakota where they set up camp – checking off box number one for Lily’s wish. Checking off box number two, she saw her whole family who traveled to Hot Springs from their homes in Michigan, Utah, Texas, and Wyoming. The whole family camped in surrounding campsites where they made s’mores, played all day and spent time together.

“The wish rallied our entire family from around the country to celebrate and enjoy camping with Lily,” said Devin, Lily’s dad.

Finally, Lily checked off box number three: to be a paleontologist. Lily and her family explored the mammoth dig site in Hot Springs and visited the fossil museum in town. Their South Dakota trip also included a visit to Mount Rushmore and Cascade Falls, where Lily and the other family kids could make a splash.

“We got to enjoy so many things in this one wish, things that we otherwise wouldn’t have been able to do. We’ve done camping trips before, but going for two weeks and being able to have our whole family there and Lily’s best friend is something we wouldn’t have been able to do without this wish,” says Lily’s dad, Devin.

The RV was the common thread among Lily’s adventure wish. Lily had her own bed, a place for all her toys brought to her by family members, and a place to lie her head after a day of play and exploration. As Lily’s parents are focused on making memories, it was important to them that they truly focused on Lily and all the things she could enjoy for herself. She had fun every single day of her wish and that’s what really mattered to her parents.

“Lily had the best time. She had so much fun every single day of her wish, and that’s all we could hope for. As her parents, we are so focused on making memories together while we can and that’s exactly this wish did,” said Devin.

Thank you to Sonny's RVs and Lamar Advertising for helping make Lily's wish possible. 

Make-A-Wish Wyoming restores hope and helps make dreams come true for wish kids from around the state. If you know a child eligible for a wish you can refer them today so they can have a wish come true like Lily.