Serena the Make-A-Wish All Star
Just shy of her 16th birthday, Serena was diagnosed with Stage Two Hodgkin's Lymphoma. At the time, cheerleading was her entire life. But that summer, she had to sacrifice practice and time with the squad to undergo treatment. Through her battle with cancer, Serena’s community and Make-A-Wish rallied behind her, becoming a cheer squad of their very own.
A Summer of Sacrifice
Serena’s diagnosis came as a shock. After she was kicked while rehearsing a stunt at cheer practice, a lump formed on her neck that wouldn’t go away. A test revealed her family’s worst fear – a cancer diagnosis.
“A lot of it hit me on that first car ride home. It was dead silent, and all I could think about was what was to come,” Serena said. From that point on, her family was by her side for every appointment and treatment.
Serena’s friends created a sense of normalcy for her during a time no teenager should have to face. “They let me be silly in a moment when I was having treatment done or sitting in a hospital room. They were really great medicine for me just to be in that young, teenage space,” Serena mentioned.
Even post-treatment, Serena’s friends encouraged her to participate in school activities and extracurriculars. Before a pep rally, Serena was feeling ill due to post-treatment side effects. Despite her lack of energy, her stunt group gave Serena the needed support to join in the routine. Little did she know, Serena was actually in the middle of her wish reveal.
That day, Serena stood front and center as her squad performed a routine seemingly new to her. “I had no idea what was happening. I thought I had missed something, or maybe my chemo-brain was farting,” Serena joked.
It was when her best friend walked out that Serena understood what was happening. After a summer of sacrifice and an autumn of healing, her wish was finally being granted.
Aloha from Hawaii
Being diagnosed as a 15-year-old gave Serena a mature perspective on her wish. “I was able to recognize the weight and the heaviness of my diagnosis, and how it not only impacted me but the people around me.” Because of this, Serena picked a wish that she knew her entire family would enjoy: a trip to Maui.
Serena also knew that her wish was an opportunity to fulfill a lifelong dream of hers, to learn to surf. After her lesson with a Hawaii local, the instructor offered for her to come back later in her trip for a follow-up lesson, an act of kindness that Serena still thinks about to this day.
Wish Kid to Wish Staff
Serena never expected that her diagnosis would lead to a career of helping families just like her own. After her own wish was granted, she was hooked. “Make-A-Wish drew me in immediately. I knew there was a medicine I could be part of without doing the science of medicine,” Serena said.
She began working for Make-A-Wish as an intern and kept asking when she would be able to work full-time for the organization. She finally got her foot in the door and was placed as a Wish Relationship Associate, the exact position she was hoping to fill.
Serena’s job allows her to be the cheerleader of Make-A-Wish and the families they serve by sharing her own story. Her wish alumni status also gives her unique insight into what families are going through; it helps her connect. “It’s a great bonding experience. I love to bond with the wish families, and my story allows us to have some common ground to relate to each other,” Serena said.
From Make-A-Wish to her family, friends, squad, and even the surf instructor in Maui, Serena’s cancer journey was one that she did not face alone. Now, she hopes to help kids with critical illnesses see that a wish is not a last wish, but the beginning of an adventure.