Earlham Echo

Earlham girl’s ‘Make-A-Wish’ results in library renovation

February 20, 2024

All of us, at some point in our lives, have pondered the question, “If I was granted one wish, what would it be?” When six-year-old Adeline Ory was asked that question, she knew whatever she wished for would actually come true. Her wish—a new school library for her friends and classmates—became reality last week when the space at Earlham School officially opened.

For the past few years, the Dan and Summer Ory family has been on an emotional roller coaster ride that no one should have to endure. But that ride hit a high point on February 5 when Adeline and her 1^st-grade classmates filled the library with laughter and smiles and enjoyed an hour of fun activities, cookies, and celebration.

“This is wonderful. I don’t even know if I can put it into words, but if I were to paint a picture, this is the picture I would paint,” said Summer, gesturing toward the fun. “This is pretty special.”

Adeline’s reaction to the event? “This is the best day ever!”

Any of us that have had children can imagine the sheer terror that Dan and Summer felt in May of 2021 when doctors discovered a golf ball sized brain tumor called a glioma in Adeline’s front temporal lobe. How do you begin to comprehend something like that? How do you explain that to your child?

“She’s a tough kid,” said Summer. “We thought about our approach of how we wanted to talk to her about it, because no parent wants to explain what a tumor is. And she took it in stride.”

Adeline underwent a 17-hour surgery only hours after the diagnosis. The term ‘miracle’ often gets overused, but what happened next truly qualifies. When Adeline woke up, her memory, motor skills, and cognition were intact. In fact, she was even happily singing the song Baby Beluga for whoever would listen. That would have been enough emotion for any family, but the Orys also welcomed their son, Hunter, born that same month.

“Talk about a roller coaster,” said Dan, shaking his head.

Two years of chemotherapy to shrink Adeline’s remaining tumor cells followed. There were many tough days over that time, too, but after the slow process to make Adeline a healthy little girl again, the Orys can now count themselves as some of the lucky ones. Many of the parents and kids they have met have not been as fortunate.

“If you’re ever thinking you’re having a hard day,” said Dan, “just go to sixth floor of Stead Hospital in Iowa City. It’ll put things in perspective real fast.”

Summer added, “It sounds cliché to say, ‘Don’t take your days for granted,’ but we came out of that hospital with a different outlook on life.”

Adeline went to pre-school and kindergarten on schedule. Full of wonder and excitement, she loved school right away. She was especially drawn to the library.

“The whole school was a brand-new place to her,” said Summer. “She grabbed me when I picked her up one day and she said, ‘Mom, come on! I want to take you to the library! I know where the library is! I got to check out books!’”

The Make-A-Wish foundation, founded in 1980, is a nonprofit organization that grants life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses. When they came to the Orys in the summer of 2022, the family wasn’t sure what to do with the wish. After consideration, Adeline’s love of books and reading sparked the idea of the library renovation—and it was her that kept driving the concept.

“We started talking and she just kept bringing up the library,” said Summer. “I thought, ‘I’m not exactly sure what we can make happen here—we’ll have to talk to the school and to Make-a-Wish.’ But she just kept gravitating to it. And it just felt right. She’s a pretty special kid.”

Once the plan became reality and the work began, many people made it happen. From the Earlham School administration and Make-A-Wish to moms filling bookshelves and the Earlham High School shop class doing much of the construction work, ‘Earlham nice’ has been on display.

“That’s real,” said Dan about the love and support from his community.

Summer added, “Through faith and community, we’re here having this party. It’s been a cumulative effort on many, many fronts. It’s been a beautiful puzzle coming together. We’re just in the front row getting to watch it.”

For Adeline, perhaps the memory of hospitals, countless visits to the doctors, and scary procedures will fade. For now, they are still vivid—but not frightening.

“She comprehends everything. She wants to be a doctor so she can give other people shots and not have to receive them,” said Dan with a laugh.

Summer added, “She just recognizes that this is part of her history and, thankfully, it doesn’t happen to too many kids. But when it does happen, you have to go to the hospital and get treatment.”

Adeline has even been cleared by the doctors to play sports this spring.

“They told us to just go live our lives,” said Summer. “We were given a blessing of the biggest kind.”

Adeline’s story so far feels like a movie with the happiest of endings. If her tale ever does end up on the silver screen, one of her favorite songs would certainly be part of the soundtrack:

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea, Swim so wild and you swim so free. Heaven above and the sea below, And a little white whale on the go. You’re just a little white whale on the go.