I wish to have a sweet sixteen shopping experience

Jerri was 13 years old when she started experiencing migraines, blurry vision, and had her first fainting spell. Her parents knew something was wrong, so they took her to the hospital. “The fight we had to have with the doctors where they didn’t believe that there was something wrong with her, that she’s faking it. It’s all her mental health, they said,” Jerri’s dad, Jerry, shared. They knew their daughter well enough to know it wasn’t just her mental health, so her parents fought consistently to get answers. Jerri was going back and forth to the hospital for two months to undergo various tests, ultimately resulting in a diagnosis of a very rare genetic disorder called MELAS. MELAS is a very rare disease that usually first arises in children between two and fifteen years old, which affects the nervous system and muscles. She now takes daily medication, has undergone three electroencephalogram (EEG) tests, has had four MRI scans due to her diagnosis because she is at high risk of having a stroke, and meets with multiple doctors every four to six months.

About a year later, Jerri was also diagnosed with non-epileptic seizures that last anywhere between a couple of minutes to two hours, occasionally leaving her with temporary paralysis.  “Her diagnosis was hard,” Jerry shared. “It’s mentally and physically draining. It’s life-changing to see your child go through something like that.” For Jerri, it was stressful getting used to her diagnosis which affected her mental health and made her feel insecure.

During these challenging times, Jerri turns to photography to help soothe her. Any chance she gets, she can be found taking pictures of pretty flowers, cute animals, or interesting people. Jerri and her family all try their best to be positive. The possibility of her wish coming true was a great distraction from her everyday life and imagining possibilities left her bouncing in her chair with excitement. There were a couple of different options floating around in her mind, but she knew that having a sweet sixteen shopping experience would bring her the most happiness.

Just before her 16th birthday, her wish came true when she was flown from her hometown, a rural area, to the big city where she was made to feel like the special young lady that she is. Getting on her first plane and then arriving to the mall in a limousine were two bucket list items for Jerri. While on her shopping experience she picked up an Xbox, video games, clothes for school, a new phone with a great camera, and a MacBook to edit her photos. She even got the chance to meet with a photographer who taught her how to use a professional camera and made her a mini photography guide. Jerri can’t wait to put her new phone camera to use and enhance her photo taking skills.

“Her wish brought so much confidence back into her,” Jerri’s mom, Lisa, shared.  Her face lit up when talking about the wish day. She couldn’t pick one favourite moment when the whole day was so special for her. “It was nice to see her be her old self again,” Jerry shared. “Usually, it’s hard to get her up and out of bed, but not [on her wish day].” Jerri will forever cherish her new items and how special she felt on her wish day.