CHESAPEAKE, Va. - There's not much else in the world that’s better at putting smiles on faces than a new puppy!
On Monday, a Chesapeake teen got her very own through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Jaffa Yeager, who’s 13 years old, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. During difficult treatments, her family would bring pictures of her puppy to help keep her positive and motivated while in the hospital.
Jaffa says researching different things about goldendoodles has helped take her mind off of everything going on around her.
And now she's got a real one!
"This is probably one of the best days of my life. It makes me really happy. It makes me really excited. I've always wanted a puppy,” Jaffa told us.
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“Critical illness just does not allow children to be children, and that’s what our mission is - to bring hope and joy and laughter and love to these kids’ lives again so that they can feel normal for even just a day,” said Kiley Elward, the Regional Development Officer of Make-A-Wish Greater Virginia.
Jaffa was an avid golfer before she was diagnosed. The name of the dog, Ace, actually came from getting a hole-in-one. The teen qualified for three world championships in golf before her diagnosis.
