Make-A-Wish surprises Lodi teen with trip
Family, friends and supporters crowded into Robinson’s Feed Co. on Sunday afternoon to surprise Nicole Newman.
As Newman and her mother Desiree Meyers walked into the store, those gathered erupted with shouts of “Surprise!”
“I thought we were getting dog food,” Newman said.
Sunday wasn’t Newman’s birthday and she didn’t blow out candles, but the Lodi teenager who suffers from a rare ovarian cancer did have a wish granted as Sacramento Make-A-Wish Foundation members Maria Mengotti and Monica Waters announced that Newman has been selected for a shopping spree with her family at the Mall of America in Bloomington, Minn.
Newman, 15, an avid shopper who enjoys perusing through stores, discovered her inner shopaholic after a shopping trip in New York.
“I went on a shopping trip with an organization to New York, and I really enjoyed shopping at the stores and visiting in all the shops,” Newman said.
Newman, who was diagnosed with ovarian gonadoblastoma with dysgerminoma last January, enjoys shopping due to the sense of normalcy it provides. She also considers herself to be an expert shopper and is looking forward to visiting the Mall of America.
“I am excited to see the amusement park inside the mall,” said Newman, a sophomore at Lodi High.
After a year of surgery and medical trials, Meyers said that her daughter has made tremendous progress since first receiving her diagnoses. “We are extremely lucky to have the support of our community and my family, especially my sister Rhiannoa who has come with us to every appointment and surgery,” Meyers said.
Meyer’s sister and mother were with her when doctors told her that Newman had an extremely rare form of ovarian cancer
“When the doctor gave us the diagnosis I felt like the breath had been knocked out of me,” Meyers said.
Meyers, who has struggled to find normalcy as she helps her daughter through her illness, has relied on friends and family for support. When Meyers feels overwhelmed, she calls her mother Cynthia Meyers and her aunt Terry Wilson to purge her frustration and emotions.
Newman’s diagnosis has taught Meyers how to be brave and resilient and she commends her parents for teaching her how to pick herself up and dust herself off. Meyers says she has passed it on to her daughter.
“I have learned more from her throughout this process and I have my parents to thank for that because I raised her the same way my parents raised me,” Meyers said.
Cynthia Meyers — who has been an emotional rock for both her daughter and her granddaughter— has helped Newman escape the struggles of her illness by providing her granddaughter a cancer-free place to go when Newman wants to feel like a typical teenager.
“At my house we don’t talk about cancer, it’s a place of normalcy, where Nicole can watch TV and play on her phone,” Cynthia Meyers said.
Since being diagnosed almost a year ago, Newman continues to attend school and hang out with her friends. She enjoys spending time with her family and has felt fortunate to have a reliable support system since receiving the news that she had cancer. Newman has been receiving treatment at the University of California, San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital where she works with a team of 36 doctors who are dedicated to researching Newman’s illness and determined to help her through her recovery.
The community and friendships gained throughout Newman’s diagnosis have helped the family as they navigate the journey to recovery. It is a difficult journey, but a trip to the Mall of America helps make it a little more manageable.