“I wish to be a scientist”

When Audrina was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer, the family’s lives drastically changed. Her dad Zach described the build-up to her shocking diagnosis “She had been suffering with pains and had been sick for ten months prior. 30 minutes after having scans done, the doctors called us back. The scan revealed that there were some abnormalities. So, we went to Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham where she received her diagnosis and it snowballed from there. It was very difficult for all of us.” 

Neuroblastoma would shape Audrina’s life. As mum Gemma explained, “Her life would have been completely different if she had never got cancer.” Throughout treatment, Audrina was rarely able to go to school, forcing her to swap chatting with her mates in the school playground to instead talking to doctors and nurses in hospital. 

As dad told us, “She missed pretty much all school, but when she did go in it was different - she had feeding tubes and had lost all of her hair. She was surrounded by adults, nurses, and doctors.” 

To make matters worse, treatment has left Audrina with disabilities that she will live with for the rest of her life.

The diagnosis had a drastic impact for Audrina’s parents. Having to cut back on the hours they worked, the family swapped their large house for a smaller one. “But we’re pretty much always together as a family,” said Mum.

Now, the family chooses to focus on the positives of life, prioritising having fun and spending time together over material things, and not letting silly things stress them out.  

Audrina’s wish

Influenced by the many hours spent in hospital and inspired by the doctors and nurses she’d met whilst undergoing treatment, Audrina aspires to be an immunologist when she’s older.  

Audrina told Make-A-Wish “I want to be a scientist, I want to research into diseases like cancer and find cures! Wishing to go to the institute and learning the science behind human anatomy is something you can’t organise yourself, so I thought, I have to use this opportunity to visit the Francis Crick Institute!"

On the day of her wish, seven-year-old future scientist Audrina was immersed into the world of immunology. She was able to look at her favourite cells under microscopes, listen to a talk about mitosis, and use an electron microscope. Still buzzing from the experience, Audrina recounted how she “got to see a whole new side of biology - I got to work with the scientists, expand my knowledge, and learn some amazing facts from the professors!” 

Another highlight of the wish came when Audrina met Nobel Prize winner and chief executive of the Francis Crick Institute, geneticist Paul Nurse. For Audrina, it was a once-in-a-lifetime moment where she was able to meet someone she looked up to, a source of inspiration for the future immunologist.  

How Audrina’s wish helped

Audrina’s Mum highlighted the importance of wishes for kids like Audrina telling us how “they need experiences to inspire them and keep them going. Something where they can think to themselves, ok I have this awful condition, but it means I get to do this awesome thing, which I couldn’t have done if I didn’t have this condition. It’s like a silver lining. It’s nice for them to feel special and be rewarded for how unbelievably brave they are.”  

“Thinking about my wish will bring back amazing memories of all the cool things that we did. It makes me feel so happy and lucky. Those memories will stick with me for a lifetime,” said Audrina. 

“A massive thank you to everyone who made my wish happen - I had the best time of my life! It was amazing. I was so lucky.”