On Friday, a 12-year-old cancer survivor from the Chicago area received a life-changing wish.
Valentina Robles had the opportunity to pet and even ride a unicorn in Elgin, fulfilling a lifelong dream.
“I am pretty happy,” Robles replied.
For as long as she can remember, the elementary school student has been fascinated by the mystical animal.
“I just think they are majestical creatures,” Robles said. “I think I like how I imagined it.”
Robles’ medical team at Lurie Children’s Hospital connected her with the Make-A-Wish Foundation and its supporters, who provided her with a life-changing experience.
Just keep moving forward, yeah.
The celebration has been planned for several months. It had to be canceled twice before because Robles was so ill.
“It gives them something to look forward to,” says Jessica Miller from Make-A-Wish. “It gives him strength they see the people around them and help them with the future.”
On any other day, Friday’s unicorn would be Gracie, an 18-year-old pony. She is a favorite at Perfecta Farm, where many similar celebrations have taken place over the years.
The farm’s owner, Kim Gardiner, is a recent cancer survivor.
She is dressed up as various things for our Halloween horse shows over the years, so we chose her to be our unicorn because she is patient and white,” Gardiner explained.
Robles was diagnosed with B cell lymphoblastic lymphoma in May 2022, when she was only nine years old. It is a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
“Valentina has many ups and downs, but mostly downs,” said Valentina’s sister, Margareth Robles. “I mean, she lost her walk, but now she is able to walk again which is nice, but it is hard for all of us.”
Valentina’s family says she has been in remission for 6 months and hopes the cancer is gone for good. Meanwhile, the girl who aspires to be a veterinarian soaked up all of the excitement and offered some advice to other children dealing with illness.
“Just keep going forward, yeah,” Robles said.
She is now a proud member of the Make-A-Wish alumni club, which means she will receive a lot of love and support as she continues her health journey.
