Aww...sweet Adam story.
Make-A-Wish Arizona @makeawishaz 36m36 minutes ago
"My wish still impacts me to this day." Gabrielle, 17, wished to meet GRAMMY nominated artist @adamlambert!
ow.ly/KGFl306S2FT twitter.com/MakeAWishAZ/status/809938718995992576AFTER LISTENING TO HIS MUSIC DURING TREATMENT, GABRIELLE MEETS ADAM LAMBERT
“ My wish still impacts me to this day. ”
- Gabrielle
Gabrielle, 17, is full of energy and spirit, despite facing the daily challenges of her life-threatening bone disease. Diagnosed at birth, her form of juvenile osteoporosis is not a curable condition, only manageable, requiring her to endure a variety of ongoing treatments that are very hard on her body.Music has been a huge help for Gabrielle while she deals with both her regular and unscheduled treatments. She could listen to her iPod and temporarily escape from the challenges of her daily life.
Gabrielle was referred to Make-A-Wish Arizona in summer of 2015 while she was going through an extremely challenging treatment.
“It was an infusion treatment that made me incredibly sick, weak, and nauseous. But knowing that my wish was being granted soon gave me something to keep my spirits up during a very tough time,” Gabrielle said.
Gabrielle contemplated a lot of different options for her wish, but ultimately decided on meeting one of the people she has always idolized: American Idol Season 8 alumni and GRAMMY Nominated Recording Artist, Adam Lambert.
“At first, it was hard to decide what my wish would be--I could do anything! And then one day I was listening to my music on shuffle and an Adam Lambert song came on and in that moment, I knew,” she explained.
Gabrielle wished to meet the international superstar because he is someone that she has always looked up to.
“He is unapologetically true to himself and loves who he is regardless of what anyone thinks,” she said.
And it wasn’t long before Gabrielle was counting down the days to her wish come true- meeting Adam at his concert in Denver, Colorado!
In preparation for her meet and greet, Gabrielle didn’t want to sound too scripted and figured she would just “let the conversation flow.” She picked out a special outfit and couldn’t wait to meet her idol.
“I was nervous at first, but once Adam introduced himself my butterflies went away,” she said. “Meeting him was incredible! He was so nice and friendly, and very charismatic.”
Gabrielle and Adam talked everything from music to fashion to his “silver” hair.
“My dad asked Adam about how he had dyed his hair grey and Adam hilariously corrected him and said, ‘No sir, its silver.’ We all just burst into laughter,” she explained. “It was really fun to see someone I have always dreamed of meeting be so easygoing and act like a regular person.”
Meeting Adam in Colorado was also really special for Gabrielle because she lived there before she moved to Arizona.
“I connected with a lot of my old teachers and friends so we could reminisce on some of my favorite childhood memories,” she explained.
Now back home in Arizona, Gabrielle says her weekend in Denver was a “dream come true,” that she will always remember for the rest of her life.
“There wasn’t one part of that trip that I didn’t enjoy,” she said. “My wish lifted my spirits during a challenging time, and it still impacts me to this day.”
Gabrielle is currently a student in high school and hopes to attend The University of Arizona in the coming years. She can’t wait to give back to Make-A-Wish and get more involved, helping grant wishes for children like her.
“I still think about my wish all the time, it reminds me that there are good people in the world,” she said. “Even when the rest of your life seems miserable, if you look forward and stay positive, anything can happen.”