Wishes do come true

Not every 11-year-old gets to have a limousine pick them and two friends up and whisk them away to Anchorage for a three-day, chauffeured shopping trip that included all the big stops a shopping trip should have.

But Brianna Gregory isn't an average 11-year-old. She is a tough and courageous little girl who is battling cystic fibrosis. The trip she and her two friends -- Stephanie Rule and River Montalvo -- took was granted to her by the Wish Upon the North Star organization.

As the stretch limo was getting ready to pull out of the Fred Meyer parking lot last Friday, the girls held champagne glasses filled with Pepsi and greeted passing motorists with waves, as if they were world-famous celebrities. What awaited them in Anchorage, however, reaffirmed that they were 11-year-old girls on a mission.

When asked what she was the most excited about -- the limo, the friends, the activities -- Gregory's answer was simple. "The shopping," she said. "We're going shopping, shopping, shopping."

The Wish Upon the North Star organization (see related story) granted the wish to Gregory. The group is similar to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, except that it is 100 percent run by Alaskans, for Alaskans, and with a much smaller budget. Still, wishes are grand in size, and no price is spared in making the wish of a child come true.

"All the wishes are what the children want, not what the parents want for the child," said Wish Upon the North Star's secretary, Mary Rice. "We try do what the child wants."

For Gregory, that was simple.

"At first she said she just wanted to go shopping in Anchorage, and then it kind of grew to the limo, taking friends and staying the night," said Lorinda Gregory, Brianna's mother. "She had her mind made up that this is what she wanted to do."

Gregory decided she wanted to spend the weekend with friends, and there was no hesitation on picking Montalvo and Rule to join her on the whirlwind trip of Anchorage.

"They are my two best friends from elementary," Gregory said.

The itinerary for the weekend included the Dimond Center, the Fifth Avenue Mall, Classic Toys, the Jewelry Cache and a host of other stores at which to shop. Entertainment included bowling and the movies, among other things.

Before the trip, Gregory said she was going to enjoy all of the shopping excursions, but said she did have one item on her list that she simply must purchase.

"I going to get a skateboard I think," Gregory said. "I'm gonna learn how to skateboard."

At the bed and breakfast, the group shared a suite, which included a hot tub and sauna for the girls to enjoy. "Home" for the weekend was a bed and breakfast on the Hillside, overlooking the heart of Anchorage.

"We want to give the kids something they can get excited about," Rice said. "They have a lot more on their minds than other kids have, so granting them wishes like this can help not only the kids, but also the parents and the entire family."