NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (LEX 18) — Theresa Reynolds is a teacher here at Nicholasville Elementary, where her daughter is a student. She describes her 10-year-old daughter, Molly, as fun-loving. In the summer of 2019, Molly started feeling bad. As things got worse, Theresa had a feeling she knew what it was.
She says, "I called my sister and I said I’m 98 percent sure she has leukemia. And my sister was like 'what?' … You never think your kids are sick."
It was leukemia. Molly describes the experience as a lonely one.
She explains, "I was like, I was acting different, I was feeling different and like I wanted to talk to people but I didn't have like the feeling to do it."
Molly and her mom say that the support of family was what got them through this tough time. Theresa applied for Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, & Indiana. She says she was overwhelmed by the support shown to her family as Molly recovered. After a long wait because of covid and storms - this month, Molly, her parents, and three siblings are heading to Disney World for the first time. She's a big Disney princess fan.
Molly says, "When I was little, I used to be so obsessed with Snow White, a little bit ago, I was obsessed with Belle and now I'm like still in that where I'm liking Belle."
"We get to take a break from thinking about the what if's and the nervousness of, you know, potentially leukemia coming back,” says Theresa.
Make-A-Wish Ohio, Kentucky, & Indiana is celebrating its 40th anniversary, and this summer they'll be celebrating 20,000 wishes granted. They say that the help and support of the community has helped make all of this possible.
Faith Hacker, Make-A-Wish’s senior advancement officer, says, "What a wish does is actually, you know, our families will say that it makes the kids more compliant, it helps their mental state, and 80 percent of the kids that receive a wish actually go on to live rich fulfilling lives."
Molly and Theresa are thankful for what this organization has done for their family. Now, they say they have an experience to share with others, and support for other families.
Theresa says, "You think that nothing will make it better, but when people come out and support your family you feel, you feel taken care of, you feel comforted, you feel protected in a way, by your community."
Now, thanks to the magic of the community, Molly's wishes are coming true.
