SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – A Seminole County girl is now going through treatment for her third round of cancer – and she’s just 11 years old.
- 11-year-old girl going through 3rd round of cancer
- Hannah Harger got a wish granted on Monday
- Designers transformed her old playroom into study space
But on Monday, Hannah Harger got a longtime wish granted that she says will give her strength to keep fighting.
Harger has wanted to turn her old playroom into a study space. New Hope for Kids – a local wish organization – teamed up with The Winter Park Land Company to make Harger’s wish come true. On Monday, designers who’ve been working on the room while Harger was in the hospital, revealed the finished makeover to Harger.
“They’ve just made me smile so much – probably more than I’ve smile in a long time – because cancer brings you down but they lift you up,” said Harger.
Harger and her mother recently learned Harger’s cancer, bilateral Wilms’ tumor, returned and has spread to other organs in her body. The rare form of cancer first shows up in the kidneys.
“I am not a doctor, I cannot cure cancer and I can’t make any of this easier for her but what I can do is give her hope,” said Tezmon Williams, Wish Program Manager for New Hope for Kids.
“Anytime you think you’re having a bad day at the office all you have to do is come in and see this and see that our problems are relatively insignificant compared to what she’s going through, so if we can help her have a great month, great week, great year – it’s terrific,” said Pitt Warner with The Winter Park Land Company.
After the big reveal, Harger got to share her newly-renovated space with her friends, some who she hasn’t been able to visit with much since her cancer treatments started back up.
“It was a joy I haven’t had in a while, to show them all this room where I would usually be showing them my hospital room,” said Harger.
“The smile – any chance you get to see your child smile is amazing when you’re going through this journey,” said Elizabeth Harger, Hannah’s mother.
“To watch her sit around with her friends in a room and be proud, and not think about cancer for a few minutes is a blessing.”
Harger’s new room was designed in a Parisian theme with rustic accents, something Harger requested. It includes a study room, a reading nook and room for friends to study and play.
The makeover was part of The Winter Park Land Company’s “Good Deeds Matter – 100 Days of Service” year commemorating its 100 years in business. You can find more information at www.gooddeedsmatter.com.
The company joined several other organizations and business who donated thousands of dollars in cash and in-kind donations to fund the makeover.
New Hope for Kids is an independent, local wish organization. You can find more information about the organization at www.newhopeforkids.org.