Community helps, makes Aubrey feel special
A young Florida girl’s dream of playing in the snow became reality Friday, January 14, thanks to the Fannin County and Copper Basin community’s support.
Being from Lakeland, Florida, Aubrey Hutson had never seen snow except for on YouTube or the TV. Although snow was in the forecast for the weekend, Amy Dowdy, who’s been following Aubrey’s journey on Facebook, said she didn’t want to miss the opportunity to make Aubrey’s dream come true.
Aubrey was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, a type of cancer, in May of last year, and despite the odds, Aubrey’s mother, Lyndsi, took to their Facebook page, Team Aubrey Hope, in July and said, “We just know our sweet child, who has always wanted to be a children’s pastor, will LIVE and tell her testimony to glorify God.”
As a result of the diagnosis, Aubrey’s father, Robert, took an unpaid leave of absence from his job to “spend every moment possible caring for and making irreplaceable memories with our baby,” Lyndsi said.
A recent cancer survivor herself, Dowdy said she understood the burden the disease can leave on a family and wanted to help. She said when she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, the local community came together to help buy Christmas gifts for her own children.
As a result of that experience, Dowdy shared Aubrey’s story with a local Facebook group where things began coming together.
From the posting, a cabin rental company in the area donated the home to the family in hopes that snow would arrive.
However, earlier in the week and after about half a day in the mountains, Aubrey had to be rushed to an Atlanta hospital. Fortunately for them, and after some testing, she was cleared to come back to the area to wait for the snow.
Their insurance does not cover the out-of-state visit however.
Since the cabin they had originally planned to stay at ended up renting out while they went to the hospital, and since Dowdy was keeping social media up to date on Aubrey’s journey, an individual from Florida with a cabin in Copperhill donated their own cabin through Monday, January 17, and only asked that they pay the cleaning costs, which was covered by donations.
Aubrey didn’t have to wait too long for her wish to see snow come true. With Dowdy’s help, two companies out of Atlanta, Iceman and Atlanta Special FX, came to the cabin in Copperhill and set up an area with “real fake snow” for Aubrey to enjoy at no cost to the family.
Lyndsi said while visiting the area that the community has treated them like family.
While visiting the Owls Nest in Blue Ridge and the Riverwalk Shops in McCaysville, Lyndsi said it was like Aubrey was a celebrity because people would come up asking if it was her and offer her free gifts.
“I love that a community we don’t even know supports and loves my baby,” Lyndsi said.
Anyone who’d like to further make a difference in Aubrey’s life may donate to the family at the following website: https://gofund.me/f6f2dd53.
Other ways to donate are also specified on the family’s Facebook page mentioned earlier.