BILLINGS — With a brave spirit and a love for the outdoors, nine-year-old Mckenna Bell celebrated her victory over cancer by receiving a brand-new camper as her Make-A-Wish gift on Saturday at Camping World in Billings.
According to her mother, Torri Bell, the third grader from Lustre, Montana has always been a ray of sunshine to those around her.
“She is outgoing. She loves people. She loves to be out and do things,” said Torri. “She's definitely that kid that lights up every room she walks into.”
McKenna’s infectious energy has remained undimmed despite her recent health struggles. In May 2023, after months of persistent abdominal pain, Mckenna was diagnosed with Metastatic Ewing sarcoma, a rare and aggressive type of bone cancer. Her journey began with countless trips to the emergency room, where doctors struggled to pinpoint the cause of her pain.
“Me and mom were just racing back and forth to the ER because they couldn't figure out what was wrong with me because I was always having lots of pain in my stomach," said Mckenna. “I was having a very hard time breathing. Sometimes I would stop breathing."
The family was quickly taken to Denver to have over a week of testing done. Eventually, they discovered her issues were due to a tumor pressing against her organs and an abnormal genetic component. A diagnosis followed soon after. Mckenna faced months of chemotherapy followed by six weeks of radiation treatment.
“Monday through Friday, every morning we were in," said Torri. "We'd be in the hospital for chemo days, and then they would take her to the other side of the hospital and do radiation.”
Despite the challenges, Mckenna found a sense of joy in the great outdoors. A camping trip organized by friends during her treatment provided a much-needed escape and a feeling of normalcy.
“She got to go boating and camping, and she just had a super fun time for what she was going through. It helped. Everything feels so much better just having fun, a safe environment for her to be in, and she loved it,” said Torri.
In February of this year, she had her final round of chemo and got to celebrate being cancer-free not long after.
“She just had her nine-month scans last Thursday, and they all came back clear. So we're just progressing and waiting,” said Torri.
After brainstorming ideas on what she wanted for her Make-A-Wish, she eventually came up with the idea of a camper inspired by her recent camping trip with friends, and on Saturday, the moment arrived. Surrounded by family and friends, Mckenna walked into Camping World to discover her dream camper, complete with special surprises inside.
“I went to go look at the parent's bed. There was a whole thing of presents and I'm like, this was not on the picture," said Mckenna. "I got a Mario Kart race car, and I've always wanted one."
While Mckenna knew she was getting a camper, how it would look was a complete surprise. The team at Camping World worked tirelessly to ensure the camper was tailored to Mckenna’s needs. They often will partner with Make-A-Wish to create wishes for children with critical illnesses. Schaefer Budde, the sales and finance manager at Camping World, noted how the local team rallied around Mckenna’s story.
“It was exciting. There wasn't a whole lot of dry eyes in the building. Everybody was pretty teary-eyed, but our whole team welcomed her," said Budde. "Everybody knew McKenna was in the building and she was the VIP, and she was gonna get all of the attention.”
They even had a hand in picking out the gifts Mckenna received, ensuring that each item was chosen with her interests and personality in mind. Emphasizing the emotional weight of the situation, Budde reflected on the challenges faced by families like McKenna's.
“I can't imagine having my own daughter go through that situation, and even thinking about it is pretty tough, and so hearing what that family has gone through to get to this point was pretty impactful. I think it's incredible what Make-A-Wish does," said Budde.
Her mother said the camper will provide many uses over the years and was the best gift her daughter could have gotten, representing a place of comfort for her.
“She's very much an outdoorsy girl, so the camper is the perfect thing for her. Even if her cancer comes back, then she can still go have her own safe space but have fun with all of her friends," said Tori.
Mckenna said that from now on, she can be found having fun and creating future adventures in her camper. She already has plans for the coming weekend to camp in her front yard with her best friends.
“I mostly am going to be basically kind of living in my camper. Basically every day after school, I'm going to zoom up to my house and go to the camper,” said Mckenna. “You’re never getting me out of this camper.”
