"It’s hard to find the right words to express how much this trip meant to our family and how grateful we are for the opportunity. When our daughter Siri was first diagnosed with cancer we understood that she would have a challenging battle and there wasn’t much time.  She was chosen for Make A Wish and it was expedited due to her prognosis, but just before we would go on the trip she wished for, her health took a  turn for the worse and she was hospitalized.

 

Despite this being a losing battle, Siri fought so hard and smiled through it all. She was truly sunshine on the darkest days. Siri never was able to make her trip  as she spent her remaining few months too sick to leave the hospital. It was heartbreaking and devastating to live through. Learning we were chosen to take a trip as a family after losing Siri was so healing.  It was sunshine in a dark time, going to Florida, and allowed us time to be together and heal as a family. It was  so important to have this time together and to know that we could do this in a place she loved so much was even more meaningful.  Siri’s first time on a plane was to Florida. Going back and having a peaceful time where we could visit some of her favorite places and remember her there was a beautiful gift. We were able to take this trip right before Christmas—Siri’s favorite holiday—our first Christmas without her.  

 

All of the pieces that could have left us feeling so lost and broken truly came together while we were in Florida.  It was hard creating memories without our incredible girl and nothing can remove the deep feelings of loss that come with losing a child, a sister, but this trip certainly helped us rebuild together. We are so grateful to Nevaeh’s Rae of Hope for the opportunity they made possible for our family. " 

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- Basham Family