Millie's Make-A-Wish Story

Millie is a four-year-old from San Antonio, Texas who was diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis at the age of two. A few months ago she wished for a puppy she could put bows on, and today she has found a true gal pal in her puppy “Queen Esther”.

Millie went through a year long process for recovery. She underwent several chemo and steroid treatments. Till this day, Millie still goes to regular check-ups.

“Millie didn’t understand the gravity of her illness but it was intended because she was only two. My husband and I wanted to protect her from the heaviness of the situation,” said Laura, Millie’s mother. “Kids have the gift of being in the moment and not think too much in the future so I didn’t want to take away that gift.”

In August, Make-A-Wish brought a giant schnoodle puppy to Millie and her family. Queen Esther or “Queenie” is now four months old. She loves her daily walks, jumping in the bathtub with Millie, and riding to school with Millie and her siblings every morning.

“The timing with Make-A-Wish was perfect. We had a lot going on but it came at a good time for us,” said Laura. She had been through so much getting Queenie let her end her treatment on a positive note.”                              

Queenie was actually almost named Dolly Parton, but Millie sided with Queen Esther after being inspired by the biblical character in the VeggieTales movie. The idea was to name her after a strong woman, just like Millie.

This October marks one year of Millie being cancer-free. Millie met Queenie just one month after having her port removed, and Millie’s mom says the joy Queenie brings to Millie is a gift, not just for Millie, but for their whole family.

“We are extremely grateful for the wish-come-true, for making, what could have been a really dark period in our lives, positive,” said Laura. “It was a huge blessing and I don’t know that ‘thank you’ fully expresses what we feel.”