Last Fall, 5-year-old Ella was diagnosed with a growth hormone deficiency resulting in terrible migraines. After weeks of testing, an MRI was scheduled and the diagnosis couldn’t have been worse: a brain tumor. Although there is currently no cure to shrink or stabilize the tumor other than removal or radiation, which would both cause some […]
Thirteen-year-old Lucy has a congenital condition that causes dangerous episodes of iron overloads. She is reliant upon frequent transfusions to maintain her health; consequently, she knows her way around the hospital. However, she is also engaged in quite an impressive number of extracurricular activities and interests: french horn, piano, basketball, and theater. This exceptional young
Last year, 18-year-old Broten’s summer fun was hampered by frequent colds, minor illnesses and fatigue. He was just starting his senior year in high school and his parents sent him in for a physical to see what might be slowing him down. Some of the blood work was off which started him on a path
Karsen, aka “Kasey,” is a 17-year-old from Clearwater who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma during the last month of her sophomore year of HS. After months of treatments and the difficult loss of this pretty teen’s hair, she spent her junior year struggling with online classes. Today she is thrilled to be back for her
Seventeen-year-old Gabe is used to grappling on the mat as a wrestler for White Bear Lake HS, but he is now in a match for his life. He was suffering from headaches in March but it wasn’t holding him back. Then, in early April, he stood on the 2nd place podium on Saturday and the next day,
There are some families that have suffered tragedies beyond belief. Junior’s family is one of those who have suffered beyond words. In 2015, his younger brother, Trevor, was diagnosed with leukemia when he was just two-years-old. He went through four years of treatment at Children’s and thankfully, he is now a healthy tween. However, six months into
We met Quetin as he was going through treatment for Leukemia and dealing with on-going issues in and out of the hospital. He was a sophomore in high school in the Stillwater school district, but with his health struggles, he decided to take a year of home learning to try to keep up with his
Picture a ten-year-old who loves to be active, but lives with a dependence on regular blood transfusions to stay alive. That’s the life of our Regina. She has a dangerous genetic condition that requires constant monitoring due to episodes of extremely low oxygen that may lead to organ failure – you can imagine the stress this puts on
Aden is an 8-year-old from Rosemount who is traveling the difficult journey of battling cancer. This superhero fan spent months receiving treatments and feeling overwhelmingly tired and achy; however, he kept his focus on a different journey – fulfilling his dream of visiting California. We met this young man in January and were thrilled when just nine months
Family vacations are something that most people may easily take for granted – but not Nora’s family. They have always enjoyed traveling as a family and experiencing new things and new places. The pandemic created cancellations but since then they’ve had to cancel trips as a result of a very scary situation with a new
After visiting her doctor because of a persistent cough and itchiness, Sierra underwent tests for asthma which revealed something restricting her breathing. No one imagined the severity of the issue until she went in for an x-ray, which showed a huge mass on her chest. Her diagnosis was Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Nausea and sickness took their
These past two years have been incredibly tough for Adasyn. As the New Year bells rang in 2021, she received a devastating diagnosis of cancer. She was told that 95% of her bone marrow cells were leukemia and to prepare herself for 2.5 years of treatments. This resilient young lady battled through every setback and did her
It was a routine exam, when Vanessa’s eye doctor spotted an irregularity on her left eye which was eventually found to be ocular melanoma – eye cancer! They immediately started plaque radiation treatment directly on the surface of her eyeball. Fortunately, this procedure was successful; however, she is facing an upcoming surgery and an ongoing protocol
In the past year, 17-year-old Chance was diagnosed with cancerous tumors in his left femur, all lobes of his lungs and right thigh. He has gone through intense chemotherapy and radiation, multiple lung surgeries, a crisis of his veins leaking the chemo, and a leg amputation. When Chance was interviewed by our wish wizards, we learned more
Hazley is a fun and spunky Halloween baby who turned four this year! This young family was having dinner one night when her dad lifted her up and felt something abnormal in her stomach. By the next week, Hazley was in surgery to remove a tumor and started treatment immediately afterwards. For 7-1/2 months, this
Brody is an outdoorsy 10-year-old who suffers from a rare bone disease. His diagnosis has meant surgery and months of chemotherapy, but the family stayed strong and so did Brody! When our volunteers talked with this adventuresome kid, he had many things to say! He talked about wanting to be a cowboy and pretending to ride bulls. Then he
Will was born with congenital heart disease and doctors told his parents that he would require on-going treatment and quite a few surgeries as he grew. Now at the age of 12, he’s become more aware of the gravity of his condition and, not surprising, he has suffered ongoing anxiety and fear surrounding his checkups
Matthew’s mom served 20 years in the Army Reserve including a year’s deployment in Iraq when he was just three-years-old. But her greatest challenge came more recently in 2021 when, as a single mom, her 17-year-old son, Matthew, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma – a rare cancer of the bone or soft tissue. His diagnosis
Elias struggles with a genetic condition that has adverse effects on his whole body, including his ability to eat or speak. He’s battled this severe condition every day for the past 18 years and requires round the clock care, shared by two nurses, but he’s also enjoyed many happy moments with his loving family. As a single
Asiya is a sweet 9-year-old from Roseville who’s challenged by cerebral palsy and is also battling heart disease. Despite these difficulties, she is an incredibly sweet and smiley little lady with a family who simply adores her. Her therapist has set a goal to get Asiya outside more and her family thought that a trip would inspire
Layla was a senior in high school when she was brought to the ICU having experienced a seizure, partial paralysis and loss of speech. It took two agonizing months for doctors to ultimately confirm that she has a high-grade malignant glioma – brain cancer. She immediately underwent radiation and chemo while keeping up her schoolwork and
All things are not created equal for siblings and that goes for triplets as well. Victor, a triplet from Columbia Heights, was born with a rare syndrome called Polymicrogyria that, among other things, causes epileptic episodes. This sweet 10-year-old shares many things with his brothers, but fortunately they don’t share this diagnosis. As Victor has gotten
Laura was born with a congenital heart condition (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy) that typically shows itself in the teen years and for Laura, it struck strong and quickly progressed at age 15. In April 2019, Laura had her first open heart surgery to lessen the thickness of the wall of her heart; however, two years later, she
Sixteen-year-old Tori from NW Wisconsin has been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. In addition to cancer, she also has significant developmental delays, which has caused some major hardships in understanding & dealing with the symptoms and treatments for her serious diagnosis. When our volunteers met with her, she described her wish in detail – to go on
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