“It was a once in a life time family memory,” Sylvia’s mother, Lashelle Shauver, said. “They treated us like royalty and rolled the red carpet out for us from beginning to end.”

Hemoglobin SS disease, the most common and severe form of sickle cell anemia, is a genetic blood disease that alters the shape of red blood cells. 

Red blood cells traditionally have a biconcave disc shape, but because of the disease Sylvia’s red blood cells carry less oxygen to parts of her body. 

Currently Sylvia Shauver takes medications to try and trick her bone marrow to produce more red blood cells.

Her spleen, which acts as a blood filter, had to be removed, leaving her immune system weakened and making her more vulnerable to other illnesses. Any time she has a fever, she has to be taken to the hospital, Lashelle Shauver said. 

“At first we felt great that we were able to sponsor a child through Make-A-Wish,”  advertising junior and member of the fraternity Ryan Lowe said. “But then when we heard that she and her family wanted to come meet us and it gave me personally such a happy feeling that the trip we sponsored meant so much to Sylvia and her family.”

Make-A-Wish works to grant the wishes of children diagnosed with life-threatening medical conditions. Each year, they grant more than 400 children wishes, development coordinator Karol Chubb said.

"They gave us the world experience," Lashelle Shauver said. “She was smiling so hard you could see the veins in her face.”