A girl with cancer envisioned her dream vacation swimming with dolphins. Her community made it happen
An Indiana day care is making a young girl's dream come true amid her uphill battle with cancer.
Sunshine Corner Day Care in Lawrenceburg is a place that lives up to its name.
A place of warmth, support and boundless love, especially when one of their own needs it most.
"This is about making a 13-year-old child's dream come true for fighting a disease she should never have to," owner Karla Lorey said.
Thirteen-year-old Hailee Peelman has been fighting leukemia on and off for six years.
"She relapsed March 2," Hailee's mom Tara Wilson said.
Wilson works at Sunshine Corner, so everyone there knows Hailee's longtime dream of swimming with dolphins in Hawaii.
"Make-A-Wish, that was going to be our goal. She relapsed it got pushed back. We were going to go again and COVID hit a week before we were supposed to leave," Wilson said.
Instead of accepting it wasn't going to happen, those at the day care came up with a massive plan.
Fundraising efforts for Hailee's dream trip began.
Virtual silent auctions, spaghetti dinners, a GoFundMe and even a game called flocking flamingos had folks far and wide chipping in.
The goal was to hit the $25,000 — the final total was thousands beyond that.
Hailey finally found out she was going to Hawaii earlier this month. All those who made it happen found out the good news as well.
A family that has gone through so much, getting their dream in the sunshine.
"This will make a memory for their entire family that will last a lifetime and that's priceless," Lorey said.