Philadelphia Teen Uses Her 'Make-A-Wish' Moment To Help Other Girls
By Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Make-A-Wish is a nonprofit organization that helps seriously ill children realize lifelong dreams, and officials say for most children that involves taking a trip to a fun destination or meeting a sports or entertainment hero.
But one Philadelphia teenager is using her wish to spread a positive message.
Ashley Broaddus arrived at the Macy's store in center city in a limo, met by paparazzi, her cheering friends, and curious shoppers.
"It was like, just, a dream," she gushed afterward.
Broaddus (wearing black and white stripes in photo) had a medical crisis last year that left her paralyzed from the chest down. But today, she walked into the store on her own, for a fashion show of a line of hooded sweatshirts that she designed.
Each carries an ego-boosting slogan, such as, No matter what, you're beautiful.
"Girls who don't love themselves because of their appearances, these should help girls feel better about themselves, that they're beautiful just the way they are, and to help them walk with such confidence," Broaddus said today.
It's something she fought to believe for herself after her illness. Her father, Hoskins, says it was a dark time.
"I saw things in my daughter I didn't think were there," he recalls. "She's absolutely very, very strong, and for her to recover the way she did, it's a miracle, it really is."