After baby's kidneys fail, Make-A-Wish sends Longview family to FL. Now they are giving back.
Maddie McCoy is a 20-year-old married college graduate living in Montana.
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But it wasn't always so clear what was in store for the Longview native.
At 9 months old, she was diagnosed with a rare syndrome that caused her kidneys to fail.
After months of recovery and about a year of growth, Make-A-Wish Washington & Alaska sent her family to Florida.
"That was great because you need that," said her mom, Debbie McCoy, of Longview. "It just helps the family through the crud that they're going through."
Today, Debbie and her other daughter, Mckenzie Patrick, also of Longview, still volunteer for the organization to help others in similar situations.
Make-A-Wish
Mckenzie Patrick, left, and her mom Debbie McCoy, both of Longview, look on Tuesday, April 14, at photos of Maddie McCoy's Make-A-Wish trip to Florida in 2007 after she suffered a rare syndrome as an infant. Debbie donated a kidney to her daughter Maddie months before the trip.
Fears before diagnosis
Maddie had stopped urinating when Debbie brought the baby to the hospital. Her legs were swollen, and she had vomited earlier that week.
Though the ordeal occurred two decades prior, Debbie remembers it well.
"I thought she was going to die," she said. "I thought they'd tell me there was nothing they could do."
But doctors had a solution; she needed a kidney, and Debbie easily offered hers.
Make-A-Wish
Photos of Maddie McCoy line the table of Debbie McCoy's Longview kitchen on Tuesday, April 14, while Debbie and her other daughter Mckenzie Patrick view photo albums behind.
Maddie endured five months of dialysis before the operation.
During the surgery, Mckenzie and the rest of the family stayed at the Portland Ronald McDonald House and waited.
"I don't think I fully grasped it because I was so young," said Mckenzie, who was 8 at the time.
Maddie stayed at OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital for two weeks, while Debbie stayed at OHSU for a week before she could be with Maddie.
The family's hopes were realized; both surgeries were a success.
But that wouldn't be the last wish granted.
A trip to remember
A doctor referred the family to Make-A-Wish Washington & Alaska.
The Seattle-based chapter of the global nonprofit offers wishes to seriously ill children.
When Maddie was 2 1/2 years old, the nonprofit sent the family to Florida to visit Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World.
Make-A-Wish
Maddie McCoy poses for a photo with Dora the Explorer at Universal Studios in 2007 in Florida. The trip was provided by Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington.
They ate in Cinderella's castle. Their resort had regular visits from Disney characters, and as Mckenzie recalls, all-you-can-eat ice cream.
Maddie met Dora the Explorer and Barney, then sobbed when she had to say goodbye to the big purple dinosaur.
Volunteering
Seven years ago, Debbie and Mckenzie started volunteering for Make-A-Wish Washington & Alaska to help those in Longview-Kelso facing similar issues.
The pair helps kids complete questionnaires to narrow down their wish list.
Some children have terminal illnesses, others have life-threatening diseases.
Make-A-Wish
Maddie McCoy poses in this framed photo of Barney at Universal Studios in 2007 in Florida. The trip was provided by Make-A-Wish Alaska & Washington.
Wishes range from shopping sprees to visits to the Disney resort in Hawaii to attending a Taylor Swift concert, the pair said.
Helping Make-A-Wish after what the nonprofit did for the family just feels right, said Debbie. Plus, she can spend more time with Mckenzie.
"It's been great to be able to grant wishes with her," she said.
How to volunteer
Make-A-Wish Washington & Alaska volunteers can help grant wishes, greet families at airports, help with fundraisers and more.
Learn how to volunteer at wish.org/akwa/volunteer.
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