Ally's Wish grants wishes to terminally ill mothers

DALLAS - A North Texas non-profit is helping families make memories. It’s important for mothers who know their time is short.

Each day for Vicky Putnam and her family is a day to cherish. She was diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer in 2016.

“When the doctor called me it was just devastation. I mean, I just kind of melted and it was really, really sad for my kids,” she said.

As she was looking for answers online, she came across Ally’s Wish. The organization provides a last wish of sorts to mothers with young children.

It was then that Vicky’s way of looking at life changed.

“You only have so much time. We all only have so much time. And you have to make what you can make of the day,” she said.

Her wish to go on a family trip with her husband and four boys came true. Ally’s Wish gifted her a cruise to Cozumel in June 2017 to make memories that could last a lifetime.

“You’re focused on the disease and what’s going on. You don’t think about let’s plan a vacation. It’s the last thing from our minds because we’re like, ‘Can we go? Can we afford it? How are we going to get there? How’s mom going to feel?’ So having an organization that just took all that away from and and just did it for me, that was the best gift,” Vicky said.

And she said it was truly the best time. Her favorite moments were just being able to have fun, dancing every chance she got.                     

“I'd get up and dance with them. Everybody thought I was crazy but I’d get up and do the dances with them,” she said.

Since then, Vicky has been doing what she can to give back to Ally’s Wish. Over the years, she hopes to repay her trip so someone else can get their wish.

“You just want a cure. You want someone to tell you this could all go away. We've found something. You want more time with your family and then you want to make memories. So if you're giving to Ally's Wish, you're helping with No. 3 on this list,” she said.

Vicky’s cancer progressed in December but she’s stable now.

For Ally’s Wish to grant wishes like hers, it takes about $5,000 in each case. If you want to support Ally’s Wish, you can attend the Boots and Blessings Gala Saturday at 7 p.m. at Austin Ranch in Grapevine.

LINK: allyswish.org