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Aspiring social media maven’s Make-A-Wish request brings her to Macy’s at South Coast Plaza

Kate Guerrero, holds up a video mic during a presentation from Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire.
Kate Guerrero, 16, holds up a video mic Monday during a presentation from Make-A-Wish Orange County and the Inland Empire inside Macy’s at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa. Kate, who has undergone treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has a wish of becoming a YouTube star.
(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)
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Even amid a pandemic, wishes can come true — just ask 16-year-old Kate Guerrero, a San Bernardino resident and budding YouTube influencer who on Monday received the red-carpet treatment at Macy’s South Coast Plaza, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Kate rolled up to the Costa Mesa shopping complex in a limousine, alongside her mom, Martha Alvarez, and youngest brother, Emilio, 11. She received a red-carpet welcome from a small phalanx of masked and socially distant organizers and store employees congratulating her on her “wish day.”

Wish Granted. Happy Wish Day. #1 Fan. We love you, read a series of handmade signs crafted for the occasion.

Macy's South Coast Plaza employees line up on the red carpet to welcome Kate Guerrero, 16, on Monday, November 30.
Macy’s employees line up on the red carpet to welcome Kate Guerrero to the store at South Coast Plaza.
(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)
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The ebullience of the scene was a far cry from September 2019, when Kate’s family learned a severe and persistent pain in her right leg, misdiagnosed for more than a year as sciatica, was actually non-Hodgkin’s B-cell lymphoma. Finally, an MRI revealed the source of her pain, a football-shaped tumor curled inside the curve of her pelvis.

“It was very hard but also relieving to find out what was actually wrong after being misdiagnosed,” the teen recalled Monday. “It was definitely an adjustment and hard to process. But my family was there for me.”

Make-A-Wish and other organizations that help children are raising less money. Social workers and court services for families also face challenges.

June 26, 2020

Kate has also been buffered by fans and followers on social media, where she’s turned to share her personal story with others who may be going through similar challenges.

When two rounds of treatments at Loma Linda University Medical Center wrapped up earlier this year, Kate’s cancer appeared to be in remission. A Feb. 12 video, showing the tearful teen ringing a bell to signify completion of her final treatment, garnered hundreds of thousands of supportive clicks and comments.

Wanting to continue to share her story with others, Kate now hopes to widen her social media presence by wading into YouTube. In her Make-A-Wish request, she asked for computer and video equipment to increase the production quality of her posts.

“I wanted to get this so I could share about my journey and my experience and what it was like for me,” she said, telling her story Monday before a lineup of TV news cameras.

Kate’s wish was granted — and much, much more. Representatives from Macy’s teamed up with Make-A-Wish to enhance the teen’s request as part of the store’s “Believe” campaign, where for each child’s letter to Santa Claus, Macy’s will donate $1 to Make-A-Wish up to $1 million.

In addition to the equipment, Kate received a $1,000 Macy’s gift card and expert cosmetics and clothing consultations from staff on site.

Kate Guerrero and her brother, Emilio, 11, drop a note to Santa Claus inside Macy's at South Coast Plaza.
Kate Guerrero and her brother, Emilio, 11, drop a note to Santa Claus inside Macy’s at South Coast Plaza.
(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

She learned the importance of good angles during a quick eyebrow consultation and YouTube tutorial from social media savvy cosmetic expert Paola Regalado.

“The best videos are actually the ones that are not edited, where you’re talking from your heart,” Regalado advised the teen. “Be yourself when you talk to the camera. And keep posting. You have to be consistent and post every day.”

TikTok sister duo Charli and Dixie D’Amelio are under fire for their “plain rude” behavior while dining with fellow social media star James Charles.

Nov. 19, 2020

In the store’s juniors clothing section, Macy’s stylist Gabriela Rosales had put together some outfits based on Kate’s style. The two chatted about colors and tastes, and Rosales promised to have the perfect picks ready for a post-press junket shopping spree.

Kate’s wish is one of more than 7,300 requests granted to critically ill children between the ages of 2½ and 18 by the regional Make-A-Wish office since the national organization’s founding in 1983, according to Gloria Jetter Crockett, president and chief executive of Make-A-Wish Orange County and Inland Empire.

Kate Guerrero speaks with Gabriela Rosales, a Macy's stylist at South Coast Plaza.
Kate Guerrero speaks with Gabriela Rosales, a Macy’s stylist at South Coast Plaza.
(Scott Smeltzer / Staff Photographer)

“It’s all about providing hope and inspiration to these kids while they’re going through something terrible and lifting their spirits,” Jetter Crockett said of the group’s work. “It makes you feel good inside.”

For Kate’s mom, Martha Alvarez, Monday’s celebration is an exciting chapter in her daughter’s continuously unfolding story.

“It was exciting just coming here — we didn’t expect all this,” Alvarez said, reflecting on the ups and downs of the past year and a half. “It’s been hard. But she’s a really, really strong little woman.”

As difficult as parts of her experience have been, Kate says she hopes being vulnerable and honest will encourage others.

“For everybody going through cancer, or just fighting something, I just want to say, ‘Don’t give up,’” she said. “Take it day by day — it’s a journey, so just stay strong.”

Brothers Keane and Shaun Veran created a wellness company focusing on antibacterial clothing and accessories, including face masks. Since Keane was declared a cancer survivor in 2017, the brothers have returned to Make-A-Wish to donate a part of their company’s proceeds to the nonprofit.

Nov. 25, 2020

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