Make-A-Wish Foundation makes teen's quinceañera dreams come true: 'She is a really strong girl'

For the family of Genesis Tamez, her quinceañera is more than just a cultural rite of passage but a miracle from above. 

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that when Genesis was born, doctors told her parents that she wouldn’t mark her first month of life as she was just 25 weeks and a pound. 

That was when the girl’s mother, Marta Marquez, turned to her faith.

According to KHOU, Make-A-Wish Foundation learned about Genesis’ story and stepped in to make sure her family had everything they needed for the once-in-a-lifetime event, which is a celebration of the transition from childhood to womanhood for many Latinas. 

And after numerous health scares in her young life, Genesis was able to celebrate the milestone. 

“[Genesis] has been able to overcome them one after another,” sister Emily Velasquez said in the report. “She is a really strong girl."

Per KHOU, Genesis had all the trappings of a traditional quinceañera from her custom dress down to the limousine she rode in to the party venue. 

The station reported that the Make-A-Wish Foundation worked with a slew of local businesses to make the event a reality for Genesis and her family, who believe the adversity she faced was what made the occasion so special.

According to the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s website, the nonprofit organization devotes itself to making the wishes of critically ill children come true. 

“A wish can be that spark that helps these children believe that anything is possible and gives them the strength to fight harder against their illnesses,” the group writes on the website. “This impact is why we are driven to make every one of these wishes come true.” 

The Texas Gulf Coast and Louisiana chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted over 10,000 wishes since 1984 and about 570 during the last fiscal year, the website said.