Make A Wish makes wish come true for Lexie Faith

Lexie s eyes sparkled and she was all smiles at the surprise Make A Wish party held for her on Jan. 23.
Lexie s eyes sparkled and she was all smiles at the surprise Make A Wish party held for her on Jan. 23.

GRAVETTE -- It's the smile that first catches your eyes, and then her eyes as they meet yours. You are smitten, captivated, held spellbound, because you know the story behind those eyes, that smile.

That smile filled the room and those eyes lit up the eyes of everyone in the room, everyone who was present to celebrate with the full-of-life little girl who quietly, graciously, and with that smile and those eyes accepted the gift. Her dream, her wish, had come true.

Lexie Faith, the 5-year-old daughter of Jessica and Josh Rawls of Bella Vista, is full of life, a miracle of today's advancement in medicine.

Lexie was the subject of a story that appeared in the Westside Eagle Observer last spring. Lexie was 4 then. Her life had taken a tragic turn. The symptoms had come quickly -- a lack of coordination and balance and a lethargy not at all normal for a bubbly little girl.

The cause: Medulloblastoma, a form of brain tumor that can attack people of any age. It was a diagnosis that brought fear to her parents and family.

She underwent surgery at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock, one of the nation's premier medical facilities. What followed is almost unthinkable: radiation treatments, 86 of them, over a 2-month period, followed by 13 months of chemotherapy. Trip after trip to Little Rock, not only for the treatments, four weeks over eight cycles, but sometimes when complications arose. Fifteen long months.

Sometime during that long ordeal, little Lexie had a dream, a wish. Her wish was to be able to go to Florida, to Disney World.

Her dream, her wish, came true Sunday afternoon, Jan. 23, at the Hard Luck Cafe in Gravette, when several dozen of her family members and friends gathered and shared in the happiness as she was surprised -- her wish was coming true.

She came through the cafe door wearing a surgical mask, a precaution to ward off possible infections. A startled look filled her eyes as she was greeted by balloons and crepe paper streamers and a room full of adults. And there were two large signs: "Lexie, Your Wish Has Been Granted," and "You Are Going To Disney World!"

Someone asked the question that her eyes had already answered: "Are you surprised?"

Overwhelmed at that moment, as that smile filled the room, she could only nod her head.

There were presents, many items to take on the trip: clothing, including a pretty purple dress, and luggage to be used by Lexie and her parents and little brother Adoniah on their long flight from XNA.

During the remainder of the party, which was arranged by Jennifer Dyles and Brandy Kavanaugh, representing the Little Rock "Make A Wish" foundation, laughter and happiness filled the room as Lexie emptied the bags of goodies. And there were cupcakes topped with Disney characters, and soft drinks, which were enjoyed as Lexie and her little friends bounced through the crowd.

It was also a special day for Jennifer and Brandy who planned the event.

"We had a ball," they echoed.

The trip was sponsored by an anonymous donor.

Last Friday, the Rawls family boarded a plane at XNA for a trip to Florida. They are scheduled to arrive home later this week filled with memories of a good time.

And Lexie? Those memories will continue bringing smiles and sparkles in her eyes, as she relives moments made possible by "Make A Wish."

General News on 02/05/2014