It was a dream come true for an Omaha teen battling cancer. She got to fly to New York City and meet a celebrity, all thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Walking in Cancer Survivors Park in Omaha, 20-year-old Ava Coughlin reflects on her long journey of becoming a survivor. She was just 16 when she was diagnosed with Stage III ovarian cancer.
“At the time I had just started thinking about college and prom was just around the corner and it was very strange to be hit with something so serious all of the sudden.” But she was ready to fight. She underwent surgery and chemotherapy.
“I remember probably my first round of chemotherapy my hair started falling out and I thought to myself, then maybe I won’t make it to college and maybe I won’t make it to 17.”
Then a ray of hope during such a tough time. She found out her dream was going to come true. “Make A Wish flew my family out to New York City and they put us up in a hotel that was right above Grand Central Station.”
That was just the beginning. The next day she got to meet her favorite actress, Tina Fey. Ava has a scrapbook of her trip, including photos of her and Tina.
If it wasn’t for someone that donated their frequent flyer miles then Ava’s wish would have never come true and now it’s your chance to donate and make a difference in a child’s life.
WOWT NBC Omaha has teamed up with Make-A-Wish Nebraska and we are trying to reach our goal of collecting one million frequent flier miles.
You can donated your miles that are about to expire. They don’t expire for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
“Having a wish come true brings so much light to your life,” said Ava. The special moment of meeting Tina Fey gave her the push she needed to keep on going. “It helps you think about fighting and getting to the end, it’s an amazing gift.”
Now she’s cancer free, but for so many other children the fight has just begun, so she hopes they too will be able to have their dreams come true through the generosity of others.
Comments are closed.