Wisconsin teen's rare disorder; Make-A-Wish makes dream come true

MILWAUKEE - In 2024, Make-A-Wish is celebrating 40 years in Wisconsin. That’s 40 years of hope and joy to thousands of kids in need.

The cold and ice of a Wisconsin winter doesn’t bother Kaelynn Brickner.

"I like the snow," the 16-year-old said. "Because I like going snowmobiling and all of that.

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Still, playing by the fire with her mom and younger siblings, it’s easy to find yourself wishing for warmer weather.

"I’m very excited to go to 80 degrees for a week," said Nicole Brickner, Kaelynn's mom. "Instead of, you know, 10."

When Kaelynn pictures herself on a beach, though, unusual creatures swim alongside her in her mind: pigs.

"They’re like mini, like babies," Kaelynn said. "And full-size. It’s like a mixture and they’re all different colors."

It’s a popular tourist attraction in the Bahamas to go swimming with pigs. Kaelynn learned about it in a very teenage fashion.

"Be honest," Nicole joked. "You saw the swimming with the pigs on TikTok and thought it was the most amazing thing ever."

"It was cool!" Kaelynn answered.

That dream becomes a reality in just a few days. It's a light at the end of a long, dark tunnel.

"How old was I?" Kaelynn asked. "When it all started?"

At the age of two, Kaelynn was diagnosed with a genetic condition called neurofibromatosis, or NF2.

"Basically she’s got a bunch of tumors between her brain and her spine," Nicole explained. "On all her nerve endings."

As a toddler, she had tumors removed from her eyes.

"I don’t remember any of it," Kaelynn said, flipping through photos.

Until she was 13, doctors thought everything was stable. 

Then a second opinion sent her world crashing down.

"He called me the next day," said Nicole, fighting back tears. "And he said, 'Well she’s got maybe six months to live and then she’s not going to wake up again."

In the next year and a half, Kaelynn would need three major surgeries.

"I didn’t expect it," the teen said through her own tears. "It was different from saying I was just fine to saying I needed brain surgery in a couple months."

The possible side effects were almost as frightening as the diagnosis itself: facial paralysis and complete hearing loss. Even the chance Kaelynn would lose her short-term memory.

"He was a miracle worker," Nicole said of Kaelynn's doctor. "Because she ended up coming out of it perfect."

There will be more surgeries down the road, and she’ll eventually go deaf in one ear.

But for now, Kaelynn is actually stable.

"It got a little bit easier after the surgery," said Kaelynn. "Knowing I was okay now, and I didn’t have to worry about it anymore."

Her doctors encouraged the family to contact Make-A-Wish Wisconsin.

That call brought tears of a different kind.

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"She like, broke down, screaming and crying all at the same time," Nicole remembered. "She was so excited."

Make-A-Wish Wisconsin grants hundreds of wishes each year to kids like Kaelynn, looking for a light in the dark.

"She’s been talking about it for months since they said she gets it," Nicole said. "Telling everybody everywhere we go that she gets to go."

The family flew to the Bahamas on Sunday. It's a long way from the cold and ice of Wisconsin. And on Wednesday, Kaelynn will finally get to swim with those famous pigs.

Another wish granted.

This year, Make-A-Wish Wisconsin is scheduled to grant more than 400 wishes – its most ever. Like Kaelynn, around 75% of those need air travel, meaning more than 1,200 round trip flights.

In addition to money, you can help make those dreams come true by donating airline miles. To make a donation, you’ll need your air miles account number and the number of miles you wish to donate. If you would rather, you can donate online right now.

Join FOX6 for the Wishes in Flight phone bank, Wednesday, Jan. 31 from 9 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.