• Make-A-Wish grants individuals who have terminal and life-threatening illnesses.
Star Valley’s Make-A-Wish Foundation surprised Maddie Aullman, a Sophomore at Star Valley High School, with the announcement of her wish trip last Saturday at a party in Bedford. Maddie and her family will travel to the Hawaiian Islands for her trip in October.
Maddie and her younger brother, Kimball, have Cystic Fibrosis, which is a condition that interferes with sodium chloride (salt) absorption. CF patients can experience challenges with muscle usage, appetite, abdominal pain, weakness, muscle cramps, nausea and headaches. People with CF lose a lot of salt through their sweat, so they need to consume more salty foods than other people, particularly in hot or humid weather. Though CF is not a terminal illness, it has been viewed as life-threatening. The Make-A-Wish Foundation recognizes the chronic condition as something that is a heavy burden for patients and families to experience, and the organization offers wishes so families can create lasting memories and lend a measure of relief from the rigors of managing a chronic illness.
The fifteen-year-old daughter of Adam and Abbie Aullman, Maddie had hoped for a trip to Hawaii, where she wants to swim with dolphins. Initially, volunteers believed that a family member under five years old would not be able to go on a Hawaii wish trip, so Maddie decided to change her request because she wanted her three-year-old brother Benson to be included in her wish trip. Maddie’s mother, Abbie, was so impressed that Maddie was willing to change her wish so that her brother could be included. “It would have been so easy to just find somewhere for Benson to stay while the family went on the trip. It says a lot about the person Maddie is. It’s so special. She’s an amazing girl!” Recently, however, volunteers found that the guideline only required that the child making the wish be over five years old. So, now, the entire family, which includes siblings Lillie (12), and Lucie (6), will be with Maddie on her trip.
Born with Cystic Fibrosis, Maddie has matured quickly with the responsibility of prioritizing her treatment, which requires several interventions a day. “Lots of medications and doctor’s appointments and poking and prodding. It takes a lot to manage her illness,” Abbie shared. Visiting her medical team at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Maddie has seen many people who suffer from serious disease. Her heart has been softened as she has recognized that there are so many people who face heartaches and challenges, many more difficult than hers. Fortunately, new treatments are helping people who suffer from Cystic Fibrosis to live longer, more comfortable lives.
“When she was born and placed in our arms, that wasn’t where the science was, but our faith was there and our hearts were there and she received a blessing really early in life,” Abbie shared with tender emotion. “Her dad blessed her that every cell of her body would function properly. We kind of imagined that would be in the Resurrection, but this drug that’s out, it’s a modulator, and it does help the cells form correctly and use sodium chloride differently so they can function much more normally.”
Breakthrough medications and treatments allow Maddie to participate in activities that some would not expect her to be able to manage. In June, she was cast as the Cat in the Hat with the Star Valley Arts Council’s Summer Theater Camp production of “Seussical.” Abbie is so grateful for these opportunities that Maddie has enjoyed. “One of her big talents is music and singing. She is one of The Treble Tones, which is the select girls’ choir at SVHS. “Most people think of Cystic Fibrosis as a lung disease, so every time she sings is a gift to me, because those lungs are working for her and she’s able to feel good about herself through music.” In addition to music and theater, Maddie enjoys art and design and is even thinking that design might be her chosen career path.
Make-A-Wish volunteers Tammy Bitters and Vickie Buckley asked for help from Maddie’s friends and family to plan a Hawaiian luau in celebration of Maddie’s wish trip.
To involve Maddie’s friends in the surprise, Tammy and Vickie contacted David Weiss, who serves as the current SVHS Student Body President. David has been hosting swing dance parties for over a year at the church located in Bedford. David and his mother, Launna, invited all Maddie’s friends who have attended the dance parties, and worked to maintain the surprise for her.
Dozens of friends and family members greeted Maddie with excitement as she arrived. She was presented with a certificate, some keepsakes, and a Hawaiian Muumuu as her authentic dress for the party. Hors d’oeuvres were served, and activities included hula dancing, taught by Hawaiian native Alice Erickson, and a mini ukulele concert given by Dallas Bitters. Following the island festivities, Maddie and her friends enjoyed the customary swing dancing.
People are drawn to Maddie. They “know that she can be sympathetic to whatever they’re going through and be a friend to all,” Abbie smiled. And Maddie’s feelings about the event are only proof of her awareness of others. Her thoughts of gratitude were about Kimball and the selfless volunteers who are making wish trips possible. “My brother’s trip [to Disney world this summer] was awesome! I am excited to be able to do what I’m going to do. I don’t like attention but it’s neat to see that people actually care.”
