Make a Wish Alumni - Elizabeth Grese's team

Friends & Family - Join me as I walk on October 6 to support Make A Wish Hudson Valley!

Our team name is "Halloweenies for Hope" because if you know me, you know that Halloween is the whole month of October and what a better way to celebrate than to dress up and walk for an impactful cause.

This is not a generic organization or fundraiser - my family and I have been personally impacted by Make a Wish Hudson Valley, when I took my wish in 2007 to Disney World Orlando with my dear friend Michelle Mohan and her family. For those of you who do not know my story, please see below!

Donate to my page, or make your own page and walk with me (in person!)

This is our fourth year doing this walk as the Halloweenies for Hope. In 2021 we did a Disney theme, in 2022 we did a Superhero theme and in 2023 we did Monsters and in 2024 we will have another theme! Join us for the fun. 

Queen Lizzy's Story:

I am a bionic woman who has been blessed since I was nine years old.

In 2008, at age nine, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ewing's Sarcoma cancer of the spine. This specific type of cancer is rare and has a low rate of survival. To remove the tumor, the surgeons needed to cut out pieces of my spine and replace them with rods and screws. The entire tumor couldn't be fully removed; therefore, they had to start me on intense chemotherapy treatments. Soon after, they began high-beamed radiation therapy.

In 2010, almost 2 years later, I was given a piece of paper that meant I had survived--survived the scarring procedures, the vomit-induced chemotherapy, and the one word that had controlled my life for a year-and-a-half.

Cancer.

I attribute winning the fight to my family, friends and kind supporters that lifted me up... and those partook in my oncology room dance parties! To the best friend I made, Michelle Mohan (1991-2013), to the organizations such as the Make a Wish Foundation, the Ronald McDonald House, the Starlight Children's Foundation and the American Cancer Society for removing some of the societal barriers that my family faced and allowing us all to breathe a little easier. A special thank you to the Maria Fareri Children's Hospital & Sloan Kettering Memorial.

Cancer doesn't define who I am, but it did transform me into who I was meant to become.

My name is Elizabeth Victoria Grese. I am a sister, a daughter, friend, an RIT alum, a non-profit Special Events Coordinator, a cancer survivor and a Wish Alumni.

Thank you to Make A Wish Hudson Valley for the opportunity to participate in the 2024 Wish Walk!