Like many teenagers, Rikki needed to have her wisdom teeth removed; however, when she went in for this routine surgery, she didn’t expect to hear that her jaw bone was deteriorating. The oral surgeon immediately took a biopsy, and when the results came back – Rikki learned that she had Ewing Sarcoma. Rikki’s life soon consisted of procedures and tests, surgery to remove and replace her jawbone, weeks of chemotherapy, and months of seclusion in the hospital missing her hobbies, friends, and much of her senior year of high school.
Rikki’s diagnosis was the first of a list of sad news for her family – within the same year, her father, grandfather, and uncle also received cancer diagnoses. Rikki and her family have endured unbelievable tragedy in a very short time, and Wishes & More jumped at the opportunity to bring some sunshine into this teen’s world.
Rikki shared with us her dreams of travelling to experience warm water and beautiful beaches; her ultimate wish was for a trip to Jamaica with her mom. She was able to simply lounge, feel the sand between her toes, enjoy the warm sun on her face, and hear the ocean waves during seven days in paradise. Even though most of her trip included relaxing, she did break away for a short cliff jumping adventure! Rikki shared how wonderful her trip was and how much she appreciated the opportunity to just get away and spend time with her mom in such a beautiful setting. We hope this is the beginning of a bright future filled with sunshine for Rikki and her family!
