THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 21, 1996 TAG: 9606210493
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JO-ANN CLEGG
STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 67 lines
Courtney Brigman, 5 going on 6, could have gone just about anywhere she wanted for her summer vacation: Disney World, Disneyland, Dollywood or Six Flags Over Anywhere.
Instead, she chose Virginia Beach.
Why?
``Because,'' the little girl in the hat with the big flower on it said solemnly, ``I want to eat crabs.
``And shrimp,'' she added. ``And play on the beach.''
Thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the charity that funds dream vacations for seriously ill children and their families, Courtney will get to do all that and more.
She, her mother, Kerlynne, and her cousin Aaron ``A.J.'' Harris arrived Thursday from Philadelphia for a five-day stay. While in town they will visit area tourist attractions, travel in a donated rental car and dine on the best seafood the area has to offer.
While a specific wish to come to Virginia Beach is somewhat unusual, there has been a dramatic increase this year in the number of wishes the foundation has granted for trips to southeastern Virginia.
``We usually get about one a year coming to this area,'' said Candie Palen, executive director of the local Make-A-Wish chapter. ``So far this summer we have five scheduled, three of them for this weekend.''
Palen attributes the increase in part to more national advertising by Williamsburg's Busch Gardens, one of several local attractions that Courtney will visit.
Diagnosed with leukemia 1 1/2 years ago, Courtney spent February through May 1995 in Philadelphia's St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.
``She had heavy chemo running constantly,'' said Kerlynne Brigman, a clerk-typist with the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Throughout Courtney's treatment, there were complications. Her latest hospitalization was in January, in the midst of one of the worst snowstorms in Philadelphia's history.
That is when she experienced medication reactions that led to a frighteningly serious seizure.
With the disease now in remission, the plucky youngster arrived at the Sheraton Inn Ocean Front hotel ready to hit the sand.
Tall for her age, slim and thoughtful, she acknowledged the welcome extended by hotel staff, graciously accepted the gifts presented to her by Make-A-Wish volunteers Doreen Harris and Nancy Franklin and got down to the business of having a good time.
Before her five days in Hampton Roads are over, she will have visited the Virginia Marine Science Museum, Busch Gardens and Ocean Breeze Amusement Park.
She will also have reigned as Queen of the Crabs at tonight's crab races at the Happy Crab restaurant, gone bowling, eaten pizza, checked out bumper boats and Jungle Golf and nibbled her way through enough Sugar Plum Bakery cookies to satisfy her, A.J. and a whole class of first-graders.
First, though, there was one important task for the precocious first-grader to take care of Thursday morning. Picking up a hotel pen, she wrote a carefully lettered note to the volunteers and hotel staff who had greeted her:
``Thank you. Love, Courtney.'' ILLUSTRATION: D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
The Virginian-Pilot
Before her five days in Hampton Roads are over, Courtney will have
visited the Virginia Marine Science Museum, Busch Gardens and Ocean
Breeze Amusement Park.
KEYWORDS: MAKE-A-WISH FOUNDATION LEUKEMIA by CNB