Teen battling cancer gets wish granted at Zoo Miami

Allison Farely flew into Miami from Texas on Monday to receive her wish, which was granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation: she got a VIP tour of Zoo Miami.

Farely was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she was 13 years old. Now 17, and many doctor appointments and surgeries later, she’s recovering.

“I did have seizures before surgery, but now those are gone and I’m starting to get back to normal,” she said.

The trip was supposed to happen during the pandemic but was put on hold. Farely told CBS4 she was grateful for the opportunity and loves animals.

“I’ve always loved animals. Ever since I was, and I want to say, first grade I’ve said I want to work with animals,” she said.”

“When you have a young adult like Allison who has faced so many life-challenging things, to see her light up and see her forget about all those things in just a few minutes here, that’s the greatest job we have,” said Zoo Miami’s Ron Magill.

Farely said she wants to go into nursing to help others who experienced a similar situation.

Make-A-Wish Southern Florida has granted more than 13,000 life-changing wishes since 1983.