Hey y’all! My name is SarahBeth Dickerson, but you can call me SB! If you know me deeply, you know I am a cancer survivor and a Wish Kid. When I was two years old, I was diagnosed with stage four Wilms Tumor Cancer. Wilms Tumor is a type of kidney cancer that usually occurs in children ages 1-4 years old. During my treatment, I had thirteen rounds of radiation and six months of chemotherapy. Thankfully today I am happy, healthy, and sixteen years cancer free!
I am not here to talk much about me though. I want to share about my new friend I met this past March, Carol Ann. Carol Ann is the most fun 8 year old you have ever met, she loves her friends and family, she is the best gymnast I have ever met, and she just beat stage four Wilms Tumor Cancer in March. Praise God! I was connected with Carol Ann through my local babysitting family who happened to live next door to her. As soon as I heard Carol Ann’s story, I knew I wanted to meet her and her family right away. I was shocked that she had Wilms at such an older age, but I was so glad our paths were able to cross.
Carol Ann was also blessed to be granted a Wish by Make-A-Wish! She is a girl of many dreams, so she wanted to make sure she chose a pretty awesome and cool place, and she chose Disney World! Carol Ann and her family will be traveling to Orlando this November for an amazing trip completely planned by Make-A-Wish. I told her about my story and going on my Wish Trip which also happened to be at Disney World as well. My family was so honored to have the chance to go the year following my treatment which got her so excited for her’s. We are both so thankful for Make-A-Wish and all they have done for us. Make-A-Wish does an amazing job of bringing kids who have been diagnosed with critical illnesses a chance to bring joy back into their lives. Kids just want to be kids and their Wish Trip allows them to focus on having fun instead of being in a hospital and missing hanging out with their friends.
On Friday, March 31st, Carol Ann had her final round of scans and was announced cancer free! I am so excited I was given the chance to share a little bit of my and CA’s story. My prayer is that the Lord will use Carol Ann’s story as her testimony for others for years to come. pray that the Lord will use her and her story for the expansion of His kingdom. Carol Ann and I have made an impact on each other's lives that we will never forget. We both are forever indebted to Make-A-Wish for going above and beyond during the process.
The amazing blessing about Chi-O is that you do not have to have a prior relationship with Make-A-Wish. It is such a blessing to be able to give back to a place that has given so much to me and my family. It is also such an exciting thing to experience your sisters rallying around and supporting a place that can bless so many people!
