For ailing girl, Sisters is happiest place

Once upon a time, members of the local business community pulled out all the stops to treat a brave Central Oregon girl like a princess for several days and to make her every wish come true.

Cristina Martinez of Prineville is a typical text-messaging, fashion-conscious 16-year-old who sings along to Taylor Swift on her MP3 player, watches Jersey Shore and sleeps with a Chihuahua named Chico.

But she also suffers from a rare degenerative disease that's threatening her life and making it increasingly harder to breathe. So the Make-A-Wish Foundation recently singled out Cristina for a "wish-granting."

Topping Cristina's wish list was a trip to Disneyland - an idea her doctors shot down due to her fragile health.

That's when Jan Shaver of Sisters stepped into her role as Cristina's fairy godmother. Shaver, a volunteer Wish-Giver who lives in Sisters, set out to grant Cristina's second-choice wish: a shopping spree. And with another wave of her magic wand she added a bonus: a beauty makeover.

Shaver had only to mention it to her neighbor Lisa Clausen, owner of Sisters Movie House, and Cristina's wish was in motion. Clausen called around to other businesses in town and the donations and offers of help came flooding in.

Says Greg Willitts of FivePine Resort, "It was the easiest thing we'd ever said yes to. This was a no-brainer."

Cristina's modern-day Cinderella story began as she and her family of eight checked into the FivePine Resort on Tuesday for a three-night stay. Two plush "Caboose Cabins" became their base camp for a host of activities.

Next stop: Metamorphosis Day Spa, where the staff gave Cristina a first-class welcome with sparkling juice and red velvet cupcakes.

Shaver reports that when she approached the salon for help, owner Tami Jones and her crew were more than generous.

"I went down there to work out the details with (hairstylist) Nicole to do Cristina's hair. By the time I got home my phone was ringing and it was the other stylists saying 'We want to help too!'"

That allowed Make-A-Wish to offer services to Cristina's family members as well.

"I asked Cristina if she would mind ... if that would take the attention away from her. But she was even more excited," says Shaver.

Four stylists sharpened their scissors, mixed up hair color and devoted their afternoon to Cristina, her mom Judy and sisters Daisy and Maria. Vibrant purple streaks adorned Cristina's brunette hair when she left the salon.

Meanwhile Cristina's twin 17-year-old brothers Antonio and Michael - both wrestlers at Crook County High School - along with her father Jorge and cousin Gabino were granted a personal training session at Sisters Athletic Club. According to Willitts, when Tate Metcalf of Sisters Athletic Club learned that there were male members of the family looking for something to do while Cristina was pampered, "He stepped right up and said 'let them work out here.'"

On Wednesday, Cristina's entourage traveled by stretch limo to Bend for lunch and a shopping spree in Cascade Village.

Cristina spent some of her time choosing clothes and pet accessories for Chico - including doggie boots that match her own. And she chose a wall-hanging with the word "Faith" for a 6-year-old cousin with a heart problem.

Despite generous allowances by many of the merchants, Cristina was a selective shopper and at the end of the day she had money left over. Nevertheless, Shaver was called in to help haul the loot back to Sisters: clothes, jewelry, a Wii game console, a karaoke machine and even an ice cream cake from Coldstone Creamery.

Later it was off to Sisters Movie House for a complimentary dinner and a movie.

Shibui Spa hosted the girls on Thursday for signature manicures and pedicures. While Cristina was having her fingernails tipped with purple polish, her mother remarked on the hospitality of the FivePine evening staff for hooking up their new Wii game console at 10 p.m. the previous night.

"The kids stayed up 'til

1 a.m. playing," Judy said.

Asked if the trip was living up to everyone's expectations, Judy said, "It's better. It means a lot. Christina's happy. She's out of bed, not stuck in a room. She's going to want this all the time. Look at her laughing over there."

Next, another item on Cristina's wish list was waiting outside for her: a bright pink four wheeler quad, made possible with spending money provided by Make-A-Wish. From then on Cristina was able to park her wheelchair and cruise around the FivePine campus.

For their final evening, Three Creeks Brewing Co. rolled out the red carpet for Cristina and her family by serving up dinner and a tour; Sisters Bakery crowned the night with the presentation of a chocolate cake.

Cristina owns her own style.

"I like jewelry; I wear makeup sometimes and I have a lot of shoes," she says. But for those who met her during the several days she was in town receiving the royal treatment, the consensus is that her best fashion accessory is her smile.

There's courage and tenacity behind that smile.

Cristina battles a rare neuromuscular disorder known as Pompe disease; recent hospitalizations left her unable to attend her freshman year of high school. While in Sisters she got the happy phone call that her highly favored fourth grade teacher has offered to tutor her at home.

Judy says that the same spunk that caused her daughter to adamantly refuse to be fitted with a tracheal tube or subject herself to experimental treatments is the same attitude that helped her beat pneumonia last month and undergo back surgery. A rod and pins were inserted along her spine to counteract scoliosis due to muscle weakness.

Shaver is more than satisfied with the way Cristina's wish experience worked out. Her research pointed to Sisters as the place in Central Oregon with the most to offer in close proximity to a resort: spas, restaurants, movie theater, level paths for a wheelchair. "What other place offers all

that?"

For Willitts the collaboration with Make-A-Wish was heartwarming and unforgettable.

"That's Jan's magic; she made Sisters into Disneyland."