San Diego Girl, 10, With Leukemia Gets Dream Backyard

Diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, 10-year-old Tanika Scott Hahn enjoys dancing and staying active all around to keep her mind off nausea from her treatments.

On Tuesday before an audience of 15,000 people, the San Diego girl got her wish when she found out Make-A-Wish and a spine technology company planned to give her a dream backyard complete with a zipline, a stage and a foam pit.

Make-A-Wish organizers announced the plans at a convention for Isagenix, a dietary supplement marketing company, at the San Diego Convention Center on Tuesday morning.

The backyard transformation will take place in September.

Tanika is excited to use the stage for dancing as well as the other play areas. She also wanted something that would benefit her brother, too.

I’m “very excited. Very happy,” she gushed during the announcement. “Thank you.”

Tanika was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia two years ago after she broke her back jumping from a tree.

She received an MRI, which showed the cancer.

“It’s really hard sometimes to want to keep going, but I just try to look on the positive and do that,” she said.

She turns 11 on Wednesday and wants to be a pediatric oncologist when she grows up.

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