One girl’s dream to see dinosaurs came to life through the Make-A-Wish® Foundation, with the help of students and staff at BYU.
On July 10, 2015, 13-year-old Isabella “Izzy” Collins was led through BYU’s paleontology museum to get a glimpse of the prehistoric world.
Through Make-A-Wish, Izzy Collins traveled from Tennessee to Utah to visit the BYU Museum of Paleontology in Provo, the Museum of Ancient Life in Lehi, and Dinosaur Land in Vernal.
Make-A-Wish, a non-profit organization founded in 1980, arranges for children with life-threatening diseases to have wishes granted. On average, Make-A-Wish grants a wish every 37 minutes. In 2014 alone, they granted more than 14,000 wishes.
Izzy Collins first heard about dinosaur locations in Utah a few years ago, after talking to a friend online who had gone to Dinosaur Land. It was then that Collins’ interest sparked, and she asked Make-A-Wish if she could visit Utah.
Make-A-Wish said yes, enabling Izzy Collins’ dream to turn into a reality.
Izzy Collins’ passion for dinosaurs started at the age of five, when she was first introduced to the Jurassic Park movies. But she has loved dinosaurs for most of her life, according to her grandfather Larry Collins.
“Mostly Jurassic Park got me into it, and eight years ago my friend Austin got me into [Jurassic Park],” Izzy Collins said. “I just love everything [about dinosaurs].”
Larry Collins said he was most excited “seeing her have a good time and enjoy herself” at the various locations they visited.
Izzy Collins has been diagnosed with germinomatous tumors, or germ cell tumors. The battle she’s been fighting seems to be paying off, as she is on the road to recovery.
“She had three tumors. The last MRI we had, they said there was no sign of them in the brain and nothing in the spinal fluid to indicate there was any more [cancer] left,” Larry Collins said.
During her time at the BYU Museum of Paleontology, Izzy Collins was led by students and the museum’s curator Rod Scheetz to get an idea of what the life of a dinosaur was like.
“We want her to get a taste of everything we do here,” Scheetz said.
The tour included viewing dinosaur bones, teeth, and other evidences of these ancient fossils. She was taught how dinosaur bones are discovered and shown on a map where those bones were found. Izzy Collins also got to name a dinosaur. She chose the name ‘Vaderaptor.’
Izzy Collins and her grandfather were also able to attend Dinosaur Land in Vernal, where they explored the field house and received a behind-the-scenes tour of the site.
“I would like to see a replica of the Spinosaurus, and a Baryonyx skeleton, too,” Collins said. “It’s one of my favorites. And a Velociraptor in Utah, a Utahraptor.”