3-year-old battling brain cancer gets a magical dream visit with a unicorn

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee recently pulled off a magical surprise for 3-year-old Abigail. A meeting with a unicorn!

[Aug 2, 2021: The Brighter Side of News]

Abigail Leggio, 3, from Tennessee who was diagnosed with brain cancer, was able to meet "unicorns" through the Make-A-Wish Foundation. (CREDIT: Little Tot’s Photography, Sarah Lawrence)

The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Middle Tennessee recently pulled off a magical surprise. The team set-up a meet-and-greet for 3-year-old Abigail Leggio with her favorite mystical creature – a Unicorn. Two in fact!

Per Abigail’s mom, Melissa Leggio, Abigail was able to ride in a carriage, meet and pet two unicorns, feed carrots to one of the unicorns and have pictures taken with both. Abigail was even gifted the princess outfit she wore for the meeting.

"It was a happy and sad moment," Melissa said. "To see her get excited about the unicorn and have a day just about her was amazing. To see everything that was planned to make her feel special was extraordinary. It was sad because she had to have cancer to have this special day."

Abigail's older brother Ty also got in on the fun and was also gifted the prince costume he wore.

Abigail has had six rounds of chemotherapy, as well as a 10-hour surgery to remove the brain tumor. Brain scans show that while she still has a small portion of the tumor left in her brain that isn’t shrinking, it’s not growing or spreading.

"All the doctors and nurses at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt have been amazing. Due to [COVID-19] restrictions, only one parent was allowed with Abigail during her treatment and all the nurses took such great care of her and also helped me through the ups and downs of watching your child go through cancer treatments," Melissa said, adding that the nurses became family.

"We will be forever grateful for everything they have done for us.

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Tags: #Good_News, #Kindness, #Charity, #Cancer, #The_Brighter_Side_of_News


Joseph Shavit
Joseph ShavitSpace, Technology and Medical News Writer
Joseph Shavit is the head science news writer with a passion for communicating complex scientific discoveries to a broad audience. With a strong background in both science, business, product management, media leadership and entrepreneurship, Joseph possesses the unique ability to bridge the gap between business and technology, making intricate scientific concepts accessible and engaging to readers of all backgrounds.