Category: 2023

Anita Lewis was diagnosed with stage 4 non small cell lung cancer that had actually spread to the muscle tissue in her arm, which is how it was discovered in a biopsy. The cancer had also spread to her lymph nodes in her chest. After they put a port in, she had to be put on oxygen also and now has stage 4 COPD. The cancer was treated with immunotherapy and her pulmanologist said he thought it damaged her lungs more. Thankfully, God has let her stay with us longer. They found a nickel size spot again in December 2022 and she is undergoing treatment again.

Anita’s family made a wish for her to travel to Florida with her brother and pick up seashells from St. Augustine Beach, where there are beach wheelchairs that she can use.   Stella’s Wish will give her a $1,000 gift card for travel money so that her wish can come true.

Tammy asked for a shopping spree at Marshalls and her wish came true! Marshalls in her hometown will be honoring her request so Stella’s Wish and Marshalls will both be providing a $500.00 VISA gift card.  Marshalls will also be making this a very special day for Tammy and a few guests. Tammy lives in Union City, PA.

 

Anthony Scalesse Jr was recently diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma. Anthony has always loved the Yankees and he is going to a Yankees spring training game in Tampa Florida on March 26^th and the Yankees have agreed to invite him on the field to meet some players.

 

John DuHadway  and two friends are going to a WWE wresting event on March 20^th and Stella’s Wish Foundation has arranged for him to meet some wrestlers back stage, He will be fulfilling a dream of his since he was 10 years old.

Alissa has been battling cancer for 10 years; three separate diagnoses. Treatment seemed successful the first two times (stage IV colon cancer) but this time it has gotten into her bone. She is a single mother to four children (ages 9-17) and her friends requested a weekend getaway filled with fun, and no doctor talk! They were hoping to go to Sea World in San Diego because she has never been able to give her kids a theme park experience, but needed assistance with travel expenses and a mobility device.

Alissa is too ill to travel now, so Stella’s Wish Foundation will send a $500.00 VISA gift card to enable her to have a special dinner with family.

Charles Victor Newman is a stage 4 terminal cancer patient and he has been fighting cancer for 17 years. It has been a rough road.
It started with a lump in his shoulder and thankfully he didn’t lose his arm but did lose the entire deltoid muscle and 30 percent of his shoulder mass.
It then moved to his right lung. They did another surgery. Then they found cancer in a spot behind his knee and his adrenal gland was almost totally consumed by cancer.

Charles has done chemo 5 times and is still receiving treatment,  with a 7-hour round trip to see his cancer doctors in Indianapolis.

Charles loves figure photography and collecting action figures. He collects action figures and dreams of creating a YouTube channel of stop motion shorts, covering toys, comics, pop culture etc..  However, he has accumulated so much debt that he can’t afford a camera and a laptop.

Stella’s Wish is sending Charles a VISA gift card for $1,000 for him to purchase a camera and a laptop so he can pursue his hobby!

In May of 2016, Virginia was diagnosed with Stage IV Colon Cancer and given a 5 year life expectancy. Virginia has surpassed that expectancy; thank God. In May of 2022, Virginia made the brave decision to stop all forms of treatment. In January of 2023, Virginia entered into a hospice program. Virginia is still awake, alert and walking around with the aid of a walker. Her family has seen her condition deteriorate since Christmas.

Virginia’s birthday is on February 22 and her sister and family would like to throw a 70th Birthday celebration for Virginia. They made a wish for help with a caterer who can provide the food to serve 50 people at the celebration.

Stella’s Wish Foundation is sending a $500.00 gift card to help with catering for Virginia’s 70^th birthday party.

Happy Birthday, Virginia!

 

Tarisa Morgan has stage 4 colon cancer. She is getting weaker with each treatment. She has had several surgeries, went into cardiac arrest, sepsis several times, radiation, chemotherapy several dozen times. Stella’s Wish Foundation is providing Tarisa and her family a little vacation at Great Wolf Lodge.

“We had an amazing time. I had a bit of an incident while I was there but their emergency medical team took care of me. It was so nice to get away and not have to think about the cancer or the future. This wish allowed us to be as we were before the cancer. We went on water slides, ate each meal together while playing card games, went to the arcade, bowling and mini golf. The trip meant so much to us. I had scans yesterday in New York and we get the results soon. Regardless of what they show, I know that the girls were able to have a few good days without any of us worrying.” – Tarisa

Liz Battaglia has stage four metastatic breast cancer that is also in the spine and liver. The cancer had destroyed her spine so she immediately had surgery and three rods put in her back.  Liz is a special education director and principal of an integrated preschool for Madison Public Schools.

Here is her story: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02YSY12nAKBqssZKxBs4kcXJ8fszyBkf26o7KfqiRbuQH5pUrzLFxCBnvtoAn8gTqWl&id=290024007795961

Liz’s husband of 17 years changed his job from teaching to sales so he could make more money to support when Liz would be too sick to work. In October, Liz received the shocking phone call that her husband died at work of a heart attack.

Liz’s children are 11 and 9 years old and make her food when she has trouble getting out of bed.  Now they also are dealing with the loss of their father. https://www.mullinsfh.com/obituary/WilliamBilly-Battaglia

Her goal now is to build memories and she is working with Pallative Care to make plans for the children. She made a wish for a trip to Disney World to make memories with the kids while she is still able to enjoy it.   It would be especially fitting, since her daughter’s name is Stella.

Stella’s Wish Foundation is sending the younger Stella, her brother and her mom Liz to Walt Disney World!

 

Roy Ladd found out he has stage 4 colon cancer a year ago and it has been really rough on his family. He has four children from ages 5 to 11 years old. The cancer has now also spread to his lungs and he had emergency surgery last month. His wife had planned a trip for the family but with everything happening in the past month she stopped talking about it.  Roy made a wish to make the trip happen during one of his chemo breaks as a surprise for his wife and family.

Stella’s Wish is sending Roy and his wife and 4 kids  on a 7-day cruise on a Norwegian Cruise Line to the Virgin Islands, St. Marten, St. Thomas and the Bahamas in May of 2023.