Back in September 2013, when Emma Allred was only ten years old, she developed minor cold symptoms: a low fever and chills. Her mother, Nina Allred, wasn't too concerned and decided to take following family trip to Disney World anyway.
But when the family returned, Emma began to complain to her mother about a stomachache. The complaints continued, so Nina decided to investigate Emma's stomach for herself. She expected her daughter's stomach to be tender, but instead, her fingers found a hard mass.
Nina became concerned, so she took Emma to the ER. There, they performed a CT scan and determined that Emma had “a mass in her abdomen the size of a tissue box." The girl's fever "was probably because the mass was so huge it was pressing onto her lungs.”
It wasn't long until Emma was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Her right ovary had to be removed and she would need to undergo three months and three rounds of chemotherapy to properly treat her cancer.
Her doctors were fairly optimistic about Emma's case. “These tumors are very sensitive to chemotherapy,” her doctor said, “and the overall cure rate is somewhere around 93 percent.”
And the treatment was effective. On December 18, 2013, Emma was declared cancer free — but only until July 2015, when doctors discovered that the tumors had returned. This time, she would likely need a hysterectomy.
Emma's doctors were able to remove most of the tumor that October, but part remained in her pelvis because they couldn't safely get to it. While chemotherapy was an option they considered to remove the remainder of the tumor, the doctors feared that this subsequent round of treatment would put Emma's body through too much stress.
They opted instead to simply keep an eye on the tumor and make sure that it didn't progress.
At this point, Emma was approached by Make-A-Wish to do something "selfish" for herself. All of Emma's siblings told her to go on shopping sprees or trips the family wouldn't otherwise be able to afford.
After great deliberation, however, Emma decided to do something "selfless" rather than "selfish."
Nina recalled, "She said, ‘Mom, I know what I want to wish for. I want to help the homeless." Nina could barely believe it. “I was taken aback, proud and humbled. [Emma] has a once in a lifetime opportunity to do just about anything and she wants to to use it for the homeless. That’s just amazing.”
In early October, Make-A-Wish made Emma's wish come true. They hosted a food drive to help support local shelters and managed to collect over 13,000 pounds of food to help those in need.
This was Emma's explanation behind her selfless wish: “It felt very good to help them. In reality, the more you give, the more people smile. It helps their day. If I can help someone, I’ll help.”
Currently, the 13-year-old girl is preparing for her third surgery to remove a tumor that grew in on her liver. We're praying that surgery goes well and this beautifully selfless girl will have a long, happy life before her.
