Minnesota sisters with sickle cell disease get relief thanks to Make-A-Wish
New York City is about 1,000 miles away from Minneapolis, but for Avianah Drakeford, the special trip was the culmination of a much longer journey.
"What it did for me was when I was standing there and I was looking, I was just like— I can't believe this far from when I first started with my sickle cell journey."
Avianah Drakeford was born with sickle cell disease, a genetic disorder that negatively affects how blood moves around the body. It's not life-threatening, but it is life-altering.
"The last thing I can remember as a kid was getting transfusions. So I'd be at the hospital all day and missing a day of school and get blood transfusions," she said.
Now a teenager, the issue for Avianah Drakeford is chronic pain. Some medicines help, but how does she spell relief now? N-Y-C.
"I always describe New York when I went as the best week of my life because it really was. I loved everything about it," Avianah Drakeford said.
Not just for her, but for the whole family. Avianah Drakeford's mom, Raechelle Drakeford, hopes others recognize Make-A-Wish's impact on an affected family's emotional well-being.
"As parents, you just want to take the pain away, you know, they're your babies. It just feels so unfair and we can't change it," Raechelle Drakeford said.
There's no changing the situation for Avianah Drakeford — nor her younger sister, Zyah Drakeford, who also has the disease.
Zyah Drakeford's wish is to visit the Bahamas — a wish that will soon come true.
"It's the sand because that's hot on your feet. I love that when I'm cold and stuff. I love the ocean and the waves, you get to surf the waves," Zyah Drakeford said. "It makes me feel alive, you know?"
It's a vacation that's not a luxury, but therapy.
Donating airline miles is one simple way you can help grant a Make-A-Wish experience to a child with a critical illness. That's why WCCO-TV and Make-A-Wish Minnesota are teaming up for our 7th Annual Wishes in Flight Drive on Thursday, March 27.
