Teen cancer survivor uses her Make-A-Wish to give back
Two-year-old Waylon waited in the family lounge of the UNC Children’s Hospital with anticipation.
A girl with a royal blue sash with the words "Wish Kid" crouches down and says, "You can have any toy you'd like".
To the nurses, doctors, patients and parents on the wing she is17-year-old Indigo Powell, “the miracle child,” as her dad calls her.
At age 14, doctors at UNC Children’s diagnosed her with Stage 4 Glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer with a survival rate of less than seven percent, according to the National Brain Tumor Society.
Surgery, chemotherapy and experimental T-Cell treatments led her to remission.
“Children don’t usually survive through that. So, watching her journey has just been amazing,” Indigo’s mom, Lori Powell, said.
To most, she was a warrior, living proof of her fighting spirit, but to Waylon — her name was “Indi,” and the family lounge filled with more than 500 toys was her wish.
Indigo’s journey to remission led her to become the 4,500th Make-A-Wish kid in Eastern Carolina.
But it was not about her, it was about Waylon and the rest of the kids on the fifth floor.
“It just made me so happy because the look on his face was so sweet, knowing he could have anything he wanted and it just made my heart so happy,” Powell said.
One by one, the kids with pediatric cancer followed Waylon into a lounge filled with more than 500 toys.
Indigo greeted each one at the entrance of “Indiglow’s Toy Shop,”
“We’ve always raised our children on the belief that if you give love, you receive love. So, it was shocking and wonderful that this is what she chose to do but knowing her nature and personality…I’m not surprised she wanted to do something for somebody else … she’s just that person,” Powell said.
On Thursday morning, Indiglow’s Toy Shop gave away more than 300 toys to approximately 115 kids.
“Her generosity and kind heart were so clear to see when she was interacting with the patients and their families, and the patients loved having a chance to relate with someone who had similar experiences as they did in the hospital,” Pediatric Hematology Psychosocial Support Program Coordinator Sarah Frantz said.
Indigo dreams of giving back to UNC, becoming a Tar Heel and pursuing a career as a child life specialist. She hopes to return to UNC to give back to the hospital that gave so much to her.
Rafael De Los Santos is a bilingual journalist from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. As a sports and broadcast news journalist with a passion for storytelling, he has spent his time at the University of Florida delivering coverage of the biggest sporting events, athletes and the community that envelops them as both a reporter and anchor. His work has been featured in local publications and media outlets, including WUFT News, Noticias WUFT and ESPN Gainesville.
