Bismarck Tribune

This morning, Taylor Welch of Mandan receives the birthday present every 13-year-old hopes for.

The Welch family - Taylor, parents Greg and Teri, and sibling Noah, 7 - leaves today from the Bismarck airport for a seven-night Caribbean cruise thanks to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Taylor has been treated for rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of muscular cancer, twice. "Taylor is doing well now," Teri Welch said.

According to Teri Welch, when the Make-A-Wish Foundation contacts children with life-threatening medical conditions - survivors, too -they ask several questions to help the child define their wish.

The foundation asked Taylor if she wanted to have something, go somewhere or meet someone.

Taylor wished that she could take a cruise with her family. The Caribbean cruise that departs on her birthday was the obvious choice.

North Dakota's chapter of Make-A-Wish has granted more than 500 wishes to children across the state since its inception in 1985.

The Welches Royal Caribbean Cruises ship departs from a Miami port and includes several shore excursions in the western Caribbean, like a castaway at Malfini Beach in Labadee, Haiti, and a pirate encounter in George Town, Grand Cayman.

Taylor's mom said of the trip, "It's an adventure for the family. The plane trip to Florida is exciting in itself." Their trip is the first major vacation that the family has been able to take together.

Taylor said she began packing for the trip about three months ago. She only has been on a plane once in her life, and has been nervous and excited about the trip all week.