PORTLAND, Ore — For her 15th birthday, Sevai had just one wish. Her dream was to skate with a bunch of people her age. She loves to skate but is usually home trying to stay healthy.
"I haven’t been to school for a while because I am in and out of the hospital," she explained.
Sevai has been battling cancer for the past three years, but on Sept. 20, her birthday, she just wanted to feel like a normal teenager.
"The 15th birthday is like special to me," said Sevai. "I feel like it’ll be good for me to socialize with other people my age and have a good time and have the best time of my life."
To make her daughter's dream come true, Sevai's mother Christina turned to social media with a post inviting peers to come celebrate Sevai’s birthday.
Word spread like wildfire, and dozens showed up to the Salmon Street Fountain to skate with Sevai. That includes Andreas Mendoza, whose brother is a cancer survivor.
"Just being able to be there for him ... that honestly did the most for him and me together," said Mendoza, speaking about his brother. "So being here for someone I don’t know, it's just a good feeling to give that little bit back."
It was a full-on birthday party, complete with presents, lots of smiles — and of course, skating. It was the perfect combination for a special birthday for Sevai.
"It makes me very happy right now, actually, that all these people are showing up for my birthday and want to skate with me," said Sevai. "That’s just like a dream come true."
Christina created a GoFundMe for her daughter. You can also follow along Sevai's journey through her blog on Facebook.