Starring in a music video would be a dream come true for many 7-year-olds. And it was for Ashlin Sanders of Oconomowoc, who has end-stage renal disease.
After having a kidney transplant in June, she got to "Make-A-Wish," and it was to star in a music video that goes viral.
"I want to get a million views," Ashlin said.
The video, which premiered April 11, has more than 177,000 views on YouTube and more than 200,000 on Make-A-Wish Wisconsin's Facebook post as of April 15.
Ashlin's battle
When Ashlin was 3 years old, she contracted E. coli. "We don't know how she got it," said Kristi Hays, Ashlin's mom. "The doctors said it was just bad luck."
It turned into hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a condition that results in the destruction of blood platelets, a low red blood cell count and kidney failure, according to the National Kidney Foundation's website.
"It was traumatizing and scary, like the scariest thing a parent could go through," Hays said. "We thought she was going to die."
Ashlin was hospitalized with end-stage renal failure, then was placed on dialysis for about three months, Hays said.
By eating a very limited diet without foods like chocolate and cheese, Hays said her daughter was able to stop dialysis.
Time for a transplant
The family wasn't happy with the hospital they were going to in Georgia and wanted a change, Hays said. So they moved to Oconomowoc, where Hays is from, and started taking Ashlin to UW Health University Hospital.
"They are amazing there," Hays said. "I cannot say enough about the hospital."
A year and a half ago, Sanders' nephrologist said she should get evaluated to be placed on the transplant list.
"Her kidney levels were going down pretty quickly," Hays said. Three weeks later, she received a match.
After the transplant, the family reached out to Make-A-Wish Wisconsin.
"We thought it would be something to take her mind off of health and appointments, and just take her to a happy place," Hays said.
Even with the transplant, Sanders has to take 15 medications a day and goes to between three and seven doctors appointments a month in Madison.
"We met with Ashlin, and she's a very creative girl," said Forrest Doolen, director of marketing and communications at Make-A-Wish Wisconsin. "She loves music and music videos and YouTube."
Ashlin chose to do a music video to the Kidz Bop song "Best Time Ever."
Make-A-Wish Wisconsin contacted Jimmy Sammarco, who works with Foundation Films Inc. Sammarco's daughter was granted a wish about eight years ago to go to Hawaii.
"Jimmy was delighted to help do this," Doolen said.
A month later, the Kidz Bop kids were performing in Madison. Not only did Ashlin get to go to the show, she also got to take a backstage tour, and the kids sang a song for her.
"They're cool, and they're awesome," Ashlin said.
"She was just speechless," Hays said. "That was the biggest thing for her. She watches them on YouTube, and that's one of the reasons she wants to be on YouTube."
Filming the music video
The music video was all Ashlin and her friends talked about leading up to the filming in February, Hays said.
"I thought it was going to be fun because we're going to be on YouTube," said Sanders' friend Faith Pecore, 6.
Make-A-Wish set up two dance lessons in February, so Ashlin's crew, including Faith, could learn some choreography.
Three days before filming, Make-A-Wish arranged for the girls to go to Justice to pick out two outfits to wear in the video, Hays said. Ashlin and Faith said it's their favorite store because it's colorful and has so many things.
The library at Ashlin's school, Meadow View Elementary in Oconomowoc, was transformed into an elaborate dance party set, Hays said. The second set was in a classroom.
The siblings of Ashlin's friends and her own younger brother and sister also got to be in the video, and Hays played a teacher in it.
"I was really emotional just seeing her so happy and excited with her friends experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Hays said.
The premiere
The video premiered at the Wish Night gala at the Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee on April 11.
"I was just blown away by how great it turned out, and you could just see the joy in her (Ashlin's) face," Hays said.
At the event, Mason Crosby from the Green Bay Packers asked the audience of 650 to share Ashlin's wish on social media.
"After, everybody was clapping, and that made her (Ashlin) feel really good just to have support like that," Hays said.
How you can help the video go viral
To help make the video go viral, people can like, comment and share it on social media.
When sharing it, use the hashtag #ashlinswish in the post.
The video can be found on YouTube at bit.ly/ashlinswish. For more information, visit bit.ly/makeawishashlin.
Contact Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahHopeKirby.
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