It was just 14 months ago that Ashia Holt was diagnosed with Sarcoma. Ashia has been a patient of ours since March 3, 2017. She has never been just a cancer patient to anyone here at Alabama Oncology, especially not to Dr. Benjamin Jones.

Over a year of IV chemotherapy treatments, radiation therapy and numerous surgeries due to complications from cancer is an extremely hard journey for any person to endure, but Ashia never complained or asked “why me”? Ashia has never let her disease define her. She continues to live her life to the fullest. For example, she attended the Race for Sarcoma in Atlanta, Georgia to raise awareness and funding to further research and development in an effort to find a cure. She comes in to the clinic for her treatment with a sweet smile and a spirit that lights up the room. She has a quiet but brave determination to do everything she can to beat this disease. She is truly an inspiration to her friends, her family and everyone here at Alabama Oncology.
 

 
During one of his conversations with Ashia, Dr. Jones learned that she wanted to go to Sea World and see the whales. Dr. Jones and Alabama Oncology’s Dream Team then went to work to make that wish a reality. Dream Foundation was contacted and plans started coming together. On May 4, 2018, Alabama Oncology, Dream Foundation and generous donors were blessed to send Ashia, her mother, her grandmother, and 3 cousins to San Antonio Texas for a four night stay in a hotel very near Sea World. They will enjoy everything from a VIP experience at Sea World complete with a Beluga Whale Experience and a VIP experience at the San Antonio Zoo complete with an opportunity to feed giraffe with her own hands. Ashia shared with me that her favorite animal was the giraffe and that she had a giant stuffed giraffe in her room. She told me the day before they left “….I never dreamed I would get to feed one!” They will eat great Texas food and enjoy relaxing with family without any expense or stress over planning. Best of all, Ashia will be able to feed and touch a REAL giraffe!
 

 
We are incredibly blessed to be able to serve our patients like Ashia. We at Alabama Oncology are grateful for Dream Foundation partnership in making this dream a reality. The best we can do when dealing with cancer is to savor every moment with the ones you love. Thanks to the benevolent heart of Dr. Benjamin Jones and The Dream Team, Ashia and her family can experience something beautiful: time together transforming dreams into reality.