Students grant wishes

PAYSON — Saydie Griffiths and Aubrie Chappell aren't fighting their cancers alone anymore.

Taylor Elementary School is full of friends interested in seeing that they get better.

One kindergarten child, Tristan Woods, donated her long hair.

Others brought their spare change and their allowance money to raise more than $500 to give to the Make-A-Wish Foundation in their names.

Shaylee Drummond and MaraLyn Cooper organized the effort after they heard about Nikaedynn Finau's story.

Nikaedynn, now 5, was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 2 and is alive and well today because her big brother — who is a student at Taylor — donated his bone marrow to her.

"We told them our story and it went from there," said Melissa Finau at an assembly where the recipients and the donors were honored. "At our house, we love Make-A-Wish."

Scrapbooking baskets were presented to Drummond and Cooper. Mugs full of candy kisses and roses were presented to Griffiths and Chappell and Finau.

Finau said her daughter wanted to go to Disneyland and meet Mickey Mouse, and that wish was granted.

"Here at Taylor School, everyone is a wish granter," Finau said.

Griffiths, 8, suffers from acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Chappell, 6, has a soft tissue kind of cancer known as rhabdomyosarcoma.

Both girls are still in treatment, but the prognosis is good for them, said their mothers.

The fund-raising effort at Taylor cheered them up, said Sandy Griffiths. "They both came home excited. It was originally started as a gift for a girl in St. George when somebody realized there were two children right here who needed help."

Griffiths said her daughter already donates a portion of her weekly allowance to Primary Children's Medical Center.

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