Dream Foundation Sends Terminally-Ill Mother, Wife, and U.S. Army Veteran to Hawaii
The Californer/10285085

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Californer -- 39-year-old U.S. Army veteran Michele Lefever has been granted a Dream trip to Hawaii through Dreams for Veterans. Dreams for Veterans is a program of Dream Foundation, which fulfills final Dreams for terminally-ill adults across the United States and Puerto Rico.

Michele and her love, Jose, married in August of 2023. They have two children, a fifteen-year-old daughter and thirteen-year-old son. Just three months later, after moving into the home of their dreams, Michele received the devasting news of a breast cancer diagnosis. Five months later, she was told that it was terminal.

Heartbroken, Michele turned to Dreams for Veterans, a program of Dream Foundation that honors veterans and service members with a final Dream.

"My Dream is to visit Hawaii with my family," Michele wrote to Dreams for Veterans. "Unfortunately, there is no way that a trip to Hawaii would ever be feasible for my family and our financial standings. It is a Big Dream."

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Michele is no stranger to the heartache of a cancer diagnosis. When she and her brother were just teenagers, he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. After undergoing intensive treatment, the family took a magical and as it turns out, healing trip to Hawaii. Upon returning, the family learned that Michele's brothers' cancer had gone into remission.

"For the last twenty plus years of my life, I have believed that family, Hawaii, and God cured my brother so long ago," Michele wrote. "I'm aware that our cancers are different, but how amazing it is to believe in something like this!"

Dream Foundation's Sustaining Partner, Alaska Airlines, will generously cover air transportation for Michele and her family from Texas to Hawaii. Contributing Partner Turo will host a car for their time on the island. Prince Waikiki will also support Michele's final Dream by covering a 4-night stay at their ocean-front hotel.

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About Dream Foundation:

Dream Foundation, the only national dream-granting organization for terminally-ill adults, fulfills final Dreams that provide inspiration, comfort and closure at the end of life. With the support of a nationwide network of volunteers, hospices, health care organizations and committed donors, the organization has served more than 35,000 final Dreams over the last thirty years. Dream Foundation has Charity Navigator's four-star rating—its highest—for sound and transparent fiscal management ensuring its donors and partners that their investment will be used wisely. Dream Foundation receives no state or federal funding, relying on individual and corporate donations. To support the mission please visit DreamFoundation.org/donate.