NEW YORK (PIX11) – A cancer diagnosis can be a heart-wrenching time for a family — even more so when a child is the one diagnosed.
Make-A-Wish Foundation is giving some light to one Texas family as their daughter gets the chance to be part of Fashion Week in New York and continues to recover from cancer.
Fashion Week in New York City is an exhilarating time. Take it a step further by walking in New York Fashion Week and that’s what 15-year-old Sydney Hunter is doing.
“It’s like 95% confidence and 5% nervousness,” Hunter said.
The Houston teenager was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 when she was only 11 years old.
“It was a long one,” Hunter said referring to the cancer name. “It’s called extraskeletal myxoid chondrosarcoma. I was actually the 18th child in the world to have this diagnosis. Right now, I am three-and-a-half years cancer-free.”
Thanks to Make-A-Wish, she walked in a fashion show on Monday night, but it wasn’t her first runway. Hunter’s first appearance was at the Fashion Woodlands Winter Fashion Show in Texas in December when she met designer Cesar Galindo who invited her to walk in his show in New York.
“I feel really confident that it’s going to be an amazing show,” Hunter added.
Separately, Ashley Osment, a cancer survivor, won a seat to the show. The mom of five from Florida battled cervical cancer and received a glam makeover in New York City sponsored by supplement company Desert Harvest.
“I’ve been extremely excited about this experience,” Osment said. “It’s a one-of-a-kind and working with everyone has just been a lot of fun.”
For Hunter, as the nerves settled in, strutting that runway is a dream come true.
“Honestly, if you’re not nervous then you’re not having fun, so it’s just part of the experience,” Hunter said.
While the glitz and glam are amusing for Hunter, she plans to pursue a different career path by becoming a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and helping children just like her.
