$19K Donated For Livermore Girl's Disney World Dream Trip

LIVERMORE, CA — Sophie McDowell, 8, of Livermore was diagnosed last year with Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, and braved 10 months of chemotherapy before qualifying for a trip to Walt Disney World through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Her plans were called off after the foundation instituted a policy that children must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to travel, her mother, Brynn McDowell, said in an email. But hours after her parents created their own online fundraising campaign through GoFundMe to help cover the cost of making Sophie's dream come true, hundreds of generous donors raised more than $19,000 to send her family on the trip.

The fundraiser was quickly shared wide and far thanks to the power of the internet. Donations poured in, both big and small. One donor gave $5 for a frozen, chocolate-covered banana — their favorite Disney park treat.

"Our family is blown away by the outpouring of love and support from family, friends and complete strangers near and far," her mother said. "We were shocked at how quickly we reached our goal thanks to the generosity of so many wonderful people."

Sophie is tough. She's endured 14 rounds of chemotherapy that resulted in nearly two months in the hospital, 103 doses of chemotherapy treatment, 27 COVID-19 tests, 11 emergency room visits, three surgeries, 14 blood transfusions and 23 unplanned nights in the hospital, father Dan McDowell said.

To be sure, it's been a difficult year for the McDowells, who have called Livermore home for 20 years and delight in raising their two children here. Sophie and her family have reason to celebrate after her chemotherapy concluded in January: Her first post-chemo scans are clear.

What better way to celebrate than with a trip to Disney World?

"Our daughter has been through so much in the past year and we can now give her the trip of a lifetime," Brynn McDowell said. "From the bottom of our hearts, we cannot thank people enough and this experience has truly shown us the power of helping others and we will continue to search for ways to pay it forward."

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.