December 1, 2023. The start of, arguably, the happiest 31 days on the calendar.
Christmas trees, Christmas lights, Christmas music, Santa Claus, snow, and a cancer
diagnosis. This is the date that our lives changed forever. The date that our baby, Maizy, received a cancer diagnosis at just 2 years old. This always gleeful month very quickly became a month of hurt, sadness, anger, tears, fears, sorrow, pain, depression, yet there was also hope, prayer, faith, and a renewed trust in God. At one point, Maizy looked over at her dad, with tears filling his eyes, handed him a tissue, and said “Don’t worry, daddy! It’s okay!”
The diagnosis: T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, or T-ALL. This specific type of
cancer is extremely rare in children Maizy’s age, and twice as rare to occur in females. No surprise here. Even at a young age, we knew that Maizy would be special…we just didn’t know she would be this special.
While we were at St. Jude, we had multiple people mention Make-A-Wish to us. It was something I had always seen but never would have imagined that it would be something that would have such an impact on our lives. As soon as Maizy turned 2 ½ years old, we referred Maizy to receive a wish. At her age, of course she wanted to go to Disney World to meet Mickey, Minnie, and other princesses like Cinderella, Ariel, and of course the princess with the long, glowing blonde hair, Rapunzel. After a quick phone call from our Wish Coordinator, the details were set in place. For the first time in a long time, something just seemed to come easy, and something was happening that filled us with happiness and joy. Our baby girl asked to go to Disney and Make-A-Wish was making that happen. We decided on a date that we felt would work for us. A time after Maizy was finished with treatment and would have her port out and could really take full advantage of the experience.
A few months later, Make-A-Wish reached out with a truly unique experience. There
was going to be a “Once Upon a Wish Party” event held at Disney World, and Maizy
was being invited! Of course, we decided to expedite our trip and let Maizy attend. On
April 13, 2025, we had our Wish party where our Wish volunteer told Maizy that her
wish had been granted and she was going to a Royal Ball at Disney World!
Experiencing that joy is something that we will cherish forever. A couple of short weeks later, we were on a plane to Disney. We landed on a Monday afternoon and were greeted at the hotel doors with a red carpet and bubbles. We got to enjoy a night’s worth of magic before our trip was cut short. Maizy’s sister, Piper, had tested positive for the flu. With that news, we decided to pack it up and head home before Maizy started showing symptoms. We knew that Maizy couldn’t go on with this wish and risk the other children there. Plus, with Maizy’s port, anytime she runs a fever of 100.4 or higher, we have to take her to the ER as a safety precaution. We called our coordinator with Make-A-Wish Alabama, and she took care of everything for us to get us back home as soon as possible. We were assured that Make-A-Wish would make sure that this would not be how Maizy’s Wish would be remembered, and that we will be able to reschedule this trip for Maizy to make those special memories she was granted.
Fast forward a couple of months, and Maizy was asked to be part of a paint party with local artist, Nancy Finnegan, at which Wish Kids got to paint something that would be auctioned off at the Wish Night Gala here in Huntsville. Not only was she asked to come in and help paint, but we were also invited to attend the Wish Night Gala where this painting would be auctioned off to help raise money for Make-A-Wish Alabama. Nancy has two Wish Kids herself, so the cause is dear to her heart. Donating a painting to be auctioned is one of the ways that she can give back to the cause that impacted her children's lives so greatly.
I’ve never been to a Wish Night Gala prior to this, and it’s something that I honestly did not know about it. From the moment we walked in and Maizy was given a ‘Wish Kid’ sash to wear and a bag of presents, I could tell that this would not be like anything I’ve ever attended. As the night progressed, and multiple trips were being auctioned off in a live auction, silent auctions were continuing in the background. It was great seeing those paddles raise, but nothing like what came next. Once the auctions were closed, they opened the floor to strictly donations. You were no longer purchasing a trip with the funds going towards Make-A-Wish. At this point, you were raising your paddle to donate your money to this cause. As a Make-A-Wish family, every single one of those paddle raises had a huge impact on me. It’s not just a paddle raise to these Make-A-Wish kids, or their families. For us, every paddle raise was knowing that, like Maizy, a child was having their wish come true. It was a trip to Disney to get that picture with their favorite Princess. It was a flashback to watching Maizy try her princess dress on, and get her make-up done. It was a promise that even though Maizy had her trip cut short, she would still get to finish her wish.
This Wish Night Gala alone raised over $400,000 for Make-A-Wish kids in the state of
Alabama to make sure they have their wish come true. That’s roughly 40 children that
are being given happiness in a time that could be extremely difficult. That’s roughly 40
families that get to experience their child’s joy through getting their wish granted. If you are ever wondering how you can help make a difference in these kids’ lives, consider Make-A-Wish.
From our Wish Kid Maizy, we can’t thank you enough for your donations, and we hope to see you at next year’s Wish Night Gala!