Students at Lubbock High School recently raised $9,000 dollars for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
All their hard work paid off, as they were able to surprise Gentry McDaniel with her dream of going to Disney World.
During a pep rally honoring the cross country team, students planned their surprise.
By announcing that she’s going to Disney World the week before Christmas.
The choir even sang a few Disney songs to get Gentry ready for her trip.
“Well it was amazing, it was totally it was big amazing it was about the size of a thousand boxes.”
“I loved it, and so I cheered for them, and I said a few words and I got to take a picture with some people even the cheerleaders.” said Gentry.
So why did Gentry choose Disney World as her wish?
“I saw it on TV and I saw that it was awesome. I saw the slides and the whole stuff. The Disney princesses and I even saw Sophia and it was for me. I really wanted to go on Christmas to get my Christmas Make-A-Wish.” said Gentry.
Gentry has battled seizures, and has spent a lot of time in hospitals across the state.
Her mom, Crystal Tobias, explains what her daughter has to gone through.
“She went from having about 40 to 80 a day. To now basically average 5 to 15 a day. So they’ve also become a lot less, they’re not as long as they used to be. That’s basically because of some fantastic doctors and nurses. Without them, I don’t know what we would have done.”
This trip will be a chance for Gentry and her family to get away from it all and enjoy each other.
“I really am just grateful they get to spend this time together. I’m glad that they get to do something they’ll all enjoy. It’ll be something i hope they can hang on to and remember for the rest of their lives. No matter how bad things get, maybe they can look back and think about this this and light up again.”.
Crystal said Gentry will most definitely be in her element at Disney World.
“She would be completely content if we lived in a castle and was royalty,” Tobias says. “So this Make-A-Wish trip is absolutely perfect for her. There’s nothing I can imagine that she would enjoy more. It should be a fantastic thing.”
Gentry wanted to check one last thing off her wish list.
“I love that I’m going to be on the news. I’m going to love that, I’m going to really love that so much,” Gentry says.
