Emily Hollis gets Disney wish

Emily Hollis, now six years old, continues to battle Anaplastic Medulloblastoma at her home in Hampstead. She still has to make trips to Duke for blood products and testing, but is able to stay at home now and loves every minute of it! While tumors continue to grow along her spine and in her head, Emily still has a smile on her face and each day fights cancer with all her might. Emily can take a few steps with her walker or with the help of her parents, but most days Emily rests on the sofa and passes her time coloring and drawing or doing craft work while watching her favorite TV shows. On her good days, when the weather is nice, Emily enjoys sitting outside in the sunshine working at her craft table or taking a ride in the van. She loves for her friends to come over and play and she adores sitting in the floor playing with her new little puppy “Oreo” that Santa brought her.

Emily, her big brother, mommy and daddy just returned from Florida’s Walt Disney World. This was Emily’s choice from the “Make a Wish” Foundation. They left via limousine on Sunday, January 13 and returned to Hampstead on Saturday, January 19. Emily and her family had a tremendous amount of fun while on her trip. They enjoyed visiting Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Sea World, Universal Studios, Downtown Disney and much more. One highlight of Emily’s trip was having dinner with Cinderella & Prince Charming, the wicked Stepmother and Stepsisters. She also enjoyed riding a roller coaster, “Finding Nemo” musical, feeding the dolphins at Sea World, and of course Shamu! A visit to “Bippity Boppity Boo” even gave her a makeup session complete with a princess wig, makeup and painted nails. Emily really loved that princess adventure.

The Make a Wish foundation provided them with a villa at their “Kids World” resort. This property offered everything from a gameroom, putt putt, movie theater, playground, gym, train and had visits from the Disney characters and Santa Claus & his elves! They even had an ice cream store that was open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m and buffet meals at the Gingerbread House! Some families enjoy their time at Kids World so much that they never even have to leave the property.

Now that Emily and family are back home they wish to give a special Thank You to local Wish Granters, Nat Smith and Dana Emery for making Emily’s wish come true so quickly! The family would also like to extend their gratitude to all their friends, family, neighbors, schools, churches and businesses for their support during this past year and a half. The financial contributions and community support has helped in more ways than mere words can express. There truly is no place like home, and what a great home Hampstead is.

In addition, they encourage everyone to participate in the upcoming Relay for Life of Pender County. Participation in this nationwide community-based event helps to raise funds dedicated to eliminating cancer and saving lives through research, education, advocacy, and service. The goal for Pender County Relay for Life this year is $140,000 and Emily’s Team (Emily’s Encouragers) hopes to raise $10,000 of that goal. Consider making your donation in honor of Emily. Visit www.pendercountyrfl.com and click “Donate to a Team” today to make your relay contribution. You may also visit Emily’s website www.emilyhollis.info to make contributions to her fund, view her updates, photo gallery and send her a message in her guestbook.