Danisyn Miller spent months fighting leukemia before she was healthy enough to travel again, and when Make-A-Wish Nevada finally had good news for her, they delivered it at a Las Vegas Aces game. The 16-year-old was surprised at the game with the announcement that her wish for a trip to Hawaii was coming true.
The reveal took place at an Aces game. Now 16, Danisyn was featured in a Make-A-Wish Monday segment on KSNV, which detailed how she underwent months of treatment and challenges before becoming healthy enough to travel and participate in activities again. Per her family, the Hawaii wish stands as a celebration of resilience and gratitude, marking a milestone after a grueling stretch of medical care.
A Pattern Of Live Reveals At Aces Games
The Las Vegas Aces partnered with Make-A-Wish for Danisyn's public stadium surprise. The station's report on Danisyn describes that collaboration between the WNBA franchise and the local wish-granting chapter.
The Aces aren't the only Las Vegas team lending a hand. The Las Vegas Raiders also partner with Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada to host multi-day VIP experiences, custom locker reveals, and sideline passes for wish children, per Raiders.com. That pattern of local sports involvement offers emotional support and positive milestones for kids undergoing intensive treatment, a dynamic Hoodline has also chronicled with wish kids turned WrestleMania stars.
Why Hawaii Tops So Many Wish Lists
Danisyn's dream destination is a common one among children granted wishes nationwide. Hawaii ranks as the second most requested travel destination worldwide for Make-A-Wish recipients after Walt Disney World, with travel-related wishes making up nearly 75 to 80 percent of all wishes granted, according to SiouxFalls.Business. Flying a family roundtrip for a travel wish typically requires up to 200,000 donated airline miles or thousands of dollars in airfare, the outlet notes.
Covering those costs often falls to corporate partners. Allegiant Travel Company provides free office space at its Las Vegas headquarters for Make-A-Wish Southern Nevada and has donated in-kind flights for more than 2,000 wish children and their families since 2012, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing. Airfare represents one of the largest single expenses for travel-related wishes, making that kind of in-kind support critical for families like Danisyn's.
The Local Chapter Behind The Wish
Make-A-Wish Nevada granted 189 wishes during a period beginning in September 2025, per Make-A-Wish Nevada. The chapter works with individual donors, corporate sponsors, and local volunteers to grant wishes like Danisyn's.
Much of that funding comes from dedicated local volunteers. In June 2026, the chapter established its inaugural Emeritus Board, honoring 26-year volunteer Linda Richardson, whose annual Fashion Luncheon has raised more than $11 million for local wish granting since 2000, according to Nevada Business. The outlet also describes the chapter's fundraising work.
Decades Of Progress Against Pediatric Leukemia
Danisyn's recovery reflects decades of medical advances in treating pediatric leukemia. A long-term SEER registry analysis published in 2025 found that five-year relative survival rates for pediatric leukemia in the U.S. rose from 48.2 percent in the late 1970s to 85.1 percent in the 2010–2019 period, according to Clinical Cancer Research. Multi-agent chemotherapy advances and risk-stratified care have driven that dramatic drop in mortality over five decades, the analysis notes.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common form of childhood cancer and now carries a five-year survival rate exceeding 90 percent in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. Standard treatment for childhood ALL generally involves two to three years of phased chemotherapy and targeted medical care. Nationally, an estimated 15,780 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year, making it the leading cause of death by disease among American youth, per the American Childhood Cancer Organization.
For Danisyn and her family, the milestone is personal: months of treatment, and a Hawaii trip ahead. Her story joins a growing list of Southern Nevada wish reveals that Hoodline has covered this year, including a toddler's camper adventure and a young train enthusiast's trip to Seattle.
