Forestdale’s Westwood Baptist helps fulfill wishes for four seriously ill teens

For four special teenagers, Feb. 12 was an evening to forget — to forget about doctor appointments, treatments and medications. 
   
Having spent the greater part of their lives in and out of hospitals because of life-threatening illnesses, the teens and their families have had many memorable nights but none quite like an evening filled with dinner and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO). 
   
When Westwood Baptist Church, Forestdale, in Birmingham Baptist Association decided to host a night of Dinner and the Symphony with special guest Deidre Downs, Miss America 2005, Westwood ARTS volunteer program coordinator Cindy Best knew the night would stand out.
   
Usually held as an annual event featuring the Westwood Ballet, called Dinner and the Ballet, this year, Westwood ARTS, the church’s fine arts program, had the opportunity to sponsor the program and host the ASO. 
   
As special as the night would be for the church, Best wanted to make the night special for someone who really needed a boost.
   
She decided to contact the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Alabama to see if there were any young people who would enjoy a night with Miss America or the symphony.
   
Jessi Grizzard, Make-A-Wish Alabama volunteer and development coordinator, was glad to provide contacts for two girls and two boys who would enjoy the evening. 
   
“A special evening like this gives children with illnesses a ray of hope,” she said. “They get a little more bounce in their steps, and it provides a time for them to feel normal, which is what they really desire.”
   
The two girls chosen to meet the former Miss America were Amanda Gosa and Taylor Donley. As each one arrived, she was presented with long-stem pink tulips and a tiara and then treated to a private photo session with Downs. 
   
Donley, who had done some modeling before being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia in 2005, said she enjoyed meeting Downs.
   
“She was very real and nice,” the 17-year-old Montgomery native said. “I asked her lots of questions like ‘Do you have a boyfriend?’ and ‘How tall are you?’ because I’m curious about other people’s lives.” 
   
Before the concert, the children and their families were treated to a gourmet dinner during which they had time to talk with Downs and Christopher Confessore, resident conductor of the ASO.
   
Downs said she enjoyed meeting Gosa and Donley. 
   
“These children have gone through more adversity than most adults. I am glad to be able to use my crown as a tool to reach them.”
   
For 14-year-old Gosa, spending time with Downs was incredible. “I got to breathe the same air as Miss America,” she exclaimed.
   
Gosa, who has cystic fibrosis, has battled lung infections and intestinal problems caused by the disease all her life. 
   
But that night, those problems were a distant memory as she talked with Downs, whom she described as “really cool and down-to-earth.” 
   
“She told me she had been in pageants five times before she won, and she’s from Leeds like me,” Gosa said.
   
Music was the topic of conversation for the two boys visiting with Confessore.
   
Charles Clay “C.C.” Perry and Benjamin Gerhart not only ate with Confessore, they were treated to front-row seats during the concert that followed.
   
For Perry, getting to hear the orchestra in person was a first. Born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy, he was in a wheelchair because of the disease’s effects on his body movement and the muscle coordination in all his limbs.
   
According to Perry’s mother, Jane, the family had always wanted to take him to hear the symphony because he loves music but found it difficult to maneuver his wheelchair to a concert.
   
But on this night, the 17-year-old Adamsville native was close enough to touch a violinist. And although Perry has no use of his arms or legs, his facial expression spoke clearly of his delight as the first notes of the concert sounded.
   
“It was awesome. I especially like ‘The Barber of Seville’ that the orchestra played,” he said after the concert. “Also Deidre Downs’s song was so pretty.”
   
A desire to play the violin was what interested Gerhart in the evening. Diagnosed with leukemia in 2004, the disease has not dampened the 14-year-old’s desire to learn new things such as playing the violin. His mother, Nan, said that they try to expose him to different cultural venues.
   
And although he determined the violin might be hard to play after seeing the ASO violinists, the night was still a lot of fun for the Millport teen. “The best part was the first song,” Gerhart said. “It was exciting to sit that close to the musicians.”
   
As Gosa’s tiara sparkled in the lights, she couldn’t help but give her newfound friend, Downs, a standing ovation after her performance. Gosa also embraced the ASO as enthusiastically as she had Downs, saying, “I watched the same violin player the whole time because he was so into it.”
   
For Best, the evening was a success. Not only were the dinner and concert a treat for the community but “hopefully it was an experience in which all the families of (the) seriously ill children felt God’s love for that moment.”