A local girl battling cancer who hoped to travel abroad got her wish granted Thursday thanks to the Make-a-Wish Foundation of Northeastern California and Northern Nevada.
14-year old Brittany Greco will soon be packing her bags for Italy, and it was a dream come true! Her family found out her wish was granted about three weeks ago, but they kept it a secret until now. Fittingly, Brittany got the surprise at Pietro's Famiglia Ristorante in Sparks with all of her family and friends in attendance.
"I kind of saw my whole family and was really confused," Brittany said, laughing. "Then, I saw Make-a-Wish, and I just freaked out (laughs)."
She always dreamed of going to Italy. Being half-Italian, she wants to learn more about her family's culture. However, for the past year, Brittany and her family have been in quite the battle.
"It is very difficult to hear that your child has cancer," said Gina Greco, Brittany's mother. "Luckily, we found Brittany's cancer early enough to where they were able to treat it."
The Spanish Springs High School Freshman was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma last September. Thankfully, doctors caught it just in time, and she's now in remission.Â
The Make-a-Wish Foundation worked with their corporate partner, Trusted Choice, to fly Brittany and her entire family to Italy for a week, complete with limo service to and from the airport. Talk about the rock star treatment! Meanwhile, Trusted Choice and CustomInk gave her gift bags for her upcoming trip, and Dee's Bakery baked her a special cake to honor the occasion.
"Huge community support from the Reno and Sparks area, just huge Make-a-Wish fans," said Michele Flynn of Make-a-Wish Northeastern California and Northern Nevada. "They all came forward."
"We just kind of grouped together and gave her some nice gifts for Italy," said Chris Dondero of Nevada Insurance Agency Company (part of Trusted Choice). "She's going to have a lot of fun!"
The surprise did not end there. Brittany also got a special video message from her pen pal, India, a girl from southern Italy. She gave Brittany a quick lesson on Italian phrases and food!
The family was grateful as they continue to take it one day at a time.
"Just keep fighting, stay positive," Brittany said. "Look at everything positive because (if) you can't change the situation you're in, change your attitude."
