Athens, Alabama (WHNT) – Whitley Jane Looney is three and soon to be 23. The sassy toddler knows exactly what she wants and she knows how to ask for it!
Seeing her running around the playground with her Minnie Mouse toy in her hand, you would never guess that the now energetic little one is getting back on her feet after extensive chemotherapy and surgery to remove a cancerous tumor.
“We did an X-ray and found a grapefruit-sized mass in her chest that was basically crushing her lung. It was pressing on her esophagus and her windpipe,” said mother Autumn Looney. “It extended from the top of her neck to the middle of her back in her spine.”
This discovery came after months of illness that had marked Whitley’s first 18 months of life.
“She had been sick since she was six weeks old, she got RSV, then COVID, pneumonia and then it snowballed.”
Her condition soon worsened and she was diagnosed with stage three neuroblastoma.
“She was struggling to breathe every day, which is so easy for everyone else,” Autumn said. “At the time, she was just 18 months old and weighed maybe 19 pounds. It was crazy to see the picture of the tumor and look at her, it was basically taking up the entire right side of her chest.”
To shrink the tumor, nine rounds of chemotherapy would be necessary.
“She had a lot of fur and it was hard. I don’t think any of us knew how hard it would be,” Autumn said.
Most of the cancerous mass was then removed.
“As of August 15, 2023, her tumor had shrunk 80%. The remaining residual tumor is what is still stuck in her spine because it is too risky to remove it without paralyzing her,” Autumn said.
Although not the entire tumor was removed, the procedure was successful.
“They were able to remove all the active cancer,” said father Corey Looney.
On December 9, the Looneys received the news that Whitley was cancer-free.
In addition to Whitley’s parents, her Minnie toy accompanied her through every step of this year-long process.
“(She loves) princesses and Minnie Mouse,” Corey said. “If Minnie is on it, we bought it,” Autumn repeated.
The infatuation with the Disney classic began when Whitley received her neuroblastoma diagnosis in January 2023.
“When she got sick, someone bought her a stuffed Minnie Mouse to give to us when we went to St. Jude for the first time,” Corey said.
From then on, the Looneys said, Minnie became their favorite toy. Even St. Jude recognized their love for the toy.
“We were at St. Jude for Easter and the Easter Bunny brought a giant Minnie Mouse shopping cart full of everything Minnie. It had everything in it and it really took off from there.”
When it came time for Make-A-Wish to meet Whitley and her family, Autumn and Corey knew exactly what they wanted to ask for.
“I thought, we have to take her to Minnie, we have to see Minnie! We talked to them on the phone and they said, ‘Where do you want to go?’ She said to Minnie’s house!” Autumn said.
The Looneys ask Make-A-Wish Alabama to send them to Disney World so Whitley can see her best friend.
“She talks about it every day,” Corey said. “Yeah, every day. ‘I want to go to the Minnie Mouse house. I want to go to Minnie Mouse’s house!’ And we say, ‘Do you want to see the princesses?’ ‘Yeah, yeah. Me? Me?'” Autumn said.
For the rest of the family, it is an opportunity to create more memories as a family of five to enjoy together after months of separation from Whitley’s older siblings, Wesson and Caroline.
“We spent two or three weeks without them on and off for a year,” Autumn said. “We missed almost every vacation in 2023 without them because they couldn’t come with us due to certain restrictions at the hospital. So after spending almost a year together, the time we spend together now is so much more precious,” Autumn said.
A trip to Disney World, they say, is a great way to close a scary chapter in their family history.
“Maybe it’s an official celebration trip to get this all over with,” Corey said. “It’s a We made it stumble,” Autumn said.
News 19 is excited to partner with Make-A-Wish Alabama to raise money for wishes like Whitley’s. Every dollar donated through our Wake Up for Wishes telethon stays here in Alabama. It takes about $10,000 to grant a single wish, so it takes a united front to grant multiple wishes. Here in North Alabama, 96 children are waiting to have their wishes granted.
You can be the reason children like Whitley create lifelong memories with their loved ones. For more information about the fundraiser and to donate, click here or text WISHES to 243725.
Thank you for your support of the children in the Make-A-Wish program here in Alabama.
