PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — Most little girl’s birthday wishes don’t go much beyond a wish for a favorite doll, dress or video game, but that was not the case for Hadley McLean, whose recent wish — to help other children like herself who are being treated for brain cancer — came true beyond her wildest imagination.
McLean was honored on Saturday with a Queen for a Day party, organized by Kim Allen and dozens of volunteers who turned the food court at the Aroostook Centre Mall into a festive kingdom for the occasion. From Shriner clowns, balloons and vocal performances, to pink cupcakes, visiting queens and a limo ride, the soon-to-be 9-year-old enjoyed her “best birthday ever” according to her mother, Holly McLean, while raising over $8,000 for the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation.
“The event was a huge success. Hundreds turned out to wish Hadley happy birthday and make a donation,” said Allen.
The child’s enthusiasm was contagious, according to Allen.
“From the moment she arrived in the limousine, her face just lit up. She’s so precious. This was all worth it,” said Allen, noting how gracious the young girl was. “She spoke with everyone who wanted to talk with her. It was beautiful.”
“After the nightmare she’s been through, she deserved the recognition,” said Allen, adding it was nice to see all the local support. “There were signs all through town, wishing her a happy birthday. She was so excited.”
Rich Wark, one of the Shriners who helped make the day festive, said he was happy to be a part of it all.
“It was definitely a good day. I didn’t realize they raised so much money. That just shows what a small community can do when everyone pulls together,” said Wark.
McLean said Hadley came up with the idea for a fundraiser when asked what she wanted for her birthday.
“When asked what she wanted for her birthday, which is actually Jan. 15, Hadley said she had everything she wanted and suggested raising funds for children like herself,” said McLean, who said it was Allen who took the idea and ran with it.
The limo ride was, according to McLean, Hadley’s favorite part.
“Hadley got to go with her friends — had some sparkling grape juice in champagne glasses. She thought that was pretty cool. She was given a police escort. She and her friends were all screaming,” she said.
Joining Hadley, who’s a third-grader at Zippel Elementary School, for the ride were some of her classmates.
“With her in the limo were twins she grew up with and some friends from school. They rode home in the limo too. Hadley was ecstatic over the whole ride. It was really a good time,” said McLean. “They rode around town after for a bit — used noisemakers that had been placed in the back. The driver and his wife were such lovely, wonderful people.”
McLean said her daughter has been through a lot since first being diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a fast-growing tumor in her brain, early last year. A trip to the doctor last spring determined Hadley’s blurred vision and headaches were being caused by the cancer; surgery was performed in April, with a large tumor being removed. Hadley continues to undergo chemotherapy to treat a few smaller spots. She is due for another round of treatment and will probably be returning from the hospital on her actual birthday on Sunday.
“She was supposed to go Wednesday, but her blood count’s not high enough for chemo. She’s going back for more blood work this week. If it’s high enough, she’ll be going Thursday and be back on her birthday on Sunday,” said McLean.
McLean finds inspiration in her daughter’s strength.
“Hadley’s been through a lot. But it seems to have made her really strong, like she can make it through anything. She does very well. It impresses me with her level of maturity,” said McLean.
McLean was amazed at the outpouring of love and good wishes on Saturday.
“She saw a lot of people she knew and some she hadn’t seen in a while. People were happy to see her. She met a lot of new people who said they were proud of what she’s doing,” said the mother.
McLean called said the day was “very touching and heartwarming.”
“Hadley was thrilled, as was her whole family,” said McLean. Joining Hadley at the party, in addition to her mother, were her father, Tim, and older brother, Hayden Dow, as well as many other family members and friends.
McLean wished to thank all who made her daughter’s dream come true.
“She just wanted to donate for her birthday and it snowballed from there. Then there were clowns, pageant queens, a dress for her, balloons, flowers, cupcakes, a limo,” McLean said.
“When I first heard all this was going to take place, I wondered about the donation part — if the party would overshadow the purpose. But in the end when I saw how much money was raised for the organization and saw we achieved what we set out to do … two wonderful things, the princess birthday party for my little girl and raising funds for children needing treatment like her,” said McLean.
“We’re just so happy and grateful to everyone who came, supported our family and donated to such a worthy cause. We’re just so thankful for everything everyone did to make the event such a wonderful day for Hadley,” said McLean.
Hadley has one more wish, according to her mother, and that’s to present the money to the foundation in person at a later date.
Anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by mailing a check payable to the Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation, 274 Madison Ave. Suite 1004, New York, NY 10016.
