(BPT) – It’s hard to imagine what life has been like for a child who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at just 2 years old, followed by years of surgeries, doctor visits, medications and treatments. Eleven-year-old, four-time cancer survivor Alika has endured all of that – but maintains a positive and optimistic attitude, with the support of her family. She loves going to school and learning new things.
While battling cancer for the fourth time, a social worker referred Alika to Make-A-Wish®.
‘We’ve always known about Make-A-Wish,’ said Alika’s mom, Leah. ‘But between the MRIs and hospital stays, we hadn’t even had a moment to think about the impact a wish could have.’
Spending most of her life in and out of hospitals and doctor appointments means Alika and her family have never had the chance to take a vacation together. In identifying her wish, Alika expressed her desire to travel with her family to Hawaii. When she recently finished her last round of treatment, Alika’s doctors cleared her for her wish to go to Hawaii, although she will still need to be monitored closely to watch for any recurrence of cancer.
After enduring three surgeries, radiation and chemotherapy, Alika’s wish will come true thanks to the support Make-A-Wish has received from Subaru through the Subaru Share the Love® Event.
Alika, who says she wants to be a chef or an actress when she grows up, recently appeared in a commercial promoting Subaru’s support for Make-A-Wish through its annual Share the Love Event.
After filming the commercial, Alika turned to her mother and said, “Mom, this commercial was made just for me!”
Inspired by her story, Subaru and Make-A-Wish, together, revealed to Alika on Good Morning America that her wish is being granted.
Alika dreams of traveling the world, starting with her wish to go to Hawaii. Her family has always felt a strong connection to Hawaiian culture, making her wish a transformative opportunity for her entire family. To help Alika document their special trip, Subaru also gifted her a GoPro camera.
Alika is looking forward to visiting Hawaii with her family and is especially excited to see the waterfalls when she gets there. It will be the first time they will enjoy quality, stress-free time just relaxing together. Her family imagines having fun dancing to music on the beaches of Hawaii.
Make-A-Wish has been able to grant 2,200 wishes for children fighting critical illness thanks to funding received from the Subaru Share the Love Event.
If you’re looking for a way to make a positive impact during this season of giving, there’s nothing more fulfilling than helping a child’s wish come true, especially knowing how their life has been affected by illness.
Subaru will have donated more than $170 million to national and hometown charities through the Subaru Share the Love Event in 12 years. To learn more about the Make-A-Wish and Subaru partnership, visit wish.org/Subaru.
