Fulfilling a dream

FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. -- From a blue recliner in the living room of her Fredericktown single-wide, Dawn Whitworth can hear the muffled voice of her daughter as she sings along to a CD in a back bedroom.

I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky É

"She loves that song," Whitworth says with a smile.

The song is special because the lyrics have meaning for Savannah, but also because of where the CD came from.

It arrived in the mail this week, wrapped in brown paper that someone had artfully decorated in puff-paint with sunshine, a rainbow and stick-figure drawings of two girls, one labeled Savannah and the other Donna.

The two sisters, only a year apart, look enough alike to be twins. And right now, they are Dawn Whitworth's reason for living.

"They are my life. How could I leave them?" Whitworth says.

Nine-year-old Savannah and 8-year-old Donna know their mom is sick, and they know she might not make it.

But they also know she has fought cancer before and won.

The blue recliner is where Dawn spends a great deal of her time these days. She eats and sleeps there. When she's not suffering side effects of chemotherapy, the 38-year-old is able to use her motorized wheelchair and can occasionally attend her daughters' school events.

Her ability to do such things may be waning, though. Unlike with her bout with breast cancer in 2001, the chemotherapy is not working on the bone cancer that currently consumes her hips, femurs, pelvis, spine and skull.

That's one reason Dwayne Whitworth, Dawn's ex-husband, wrote a letter to an organization called Dream Foundation last summer.

Similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for children, the Dream Foundation grants the wishes of adults who have a terminal illness.

Dawn's dream was to take her daughters to Walt Disney World. On Oct. 17, the family will leave for Orlando.

"I lived in Florida for a while, but I never went to Disney World," Dawn said. "I always told the girls we'd go someday."

The inspirational CD, along with toys and games, was sent by the Dream Foundation as a preliminary to the trip.

Just looking at the puff-painted art on the brown package the toys came in is enough to bring tears to Dwayne Whitworth. They plan to frame the package eventually.

"It just gives you a whole new look on life," he said. "I told Dawn that even if we can only send $5 or $10 every month to them, we should do that so we can help someone else have their dream."

The family will return to Fredericktown on Oct. 22 after three days at Disney World and a day at Universal Studios, all paid for by the Dream Foundation.

After that, they'll just take life one day at a time.

"We're just doing as much as we can to make good memories right now," Dawn said. "Right now, it's about spending time with my girls."

cmiller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128