Vanessa

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 of follow ups for the next 15 years. When Vanessa was ready to start thinking about her wish, she told our volunteers that she wanted to travel – to get away to someplace warm (the hotter, the better!) where she could swim, snorkel, hike, zipline and potentially learn to surf! She decided that her ultimate trip would be Hawaii and the planning began! The Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa partnered with us to ensure that Vanessa experienced her dream vacation with beautiful ocean view rooms at their gorgeous resort for her large family. Delta kicked off the fun with an exceptional airport experience in the Delta SkyClub. The big highlights from the trip were the Road to Hana where they stopped along the way to do some hiking and swimming in the cold creeks under the waterfalls; a snorkeling adventure for the whole family at Maui Snorkeling and a special scooter snorkeling adventure for Vanessa at My Splash – Sea Scooter Snorkeling Maui. They also watched a luau and cliff diving, and they indulged in a few different local delicacies including the BEST shave ice, banana bread, and rice and Spam at McDonald’s. We’re very grateful to our wish contributors who helped make Vanessa’s wish so special and we wish this teen the very best!