Wish Big to Win Big

When 18-year-old Caitlin had to come up with a wish for Make-A-Wish Foundation of Southern Nevada to fulfill, she didn't hold back. Besides "The Hills," Fallout Boy and Taylor Swift, Caitlin's primary obsession is the world of fashion, specifically the part Coco Chanel played in it.

"She had a hard life," says Caitlin. "And with everything I've had to go through, I can relate to her."

She asked to visit the house of Chanel in Paris and her wish was granted.

The cystic fibrosis patient, who was given a 5-year life expectancy at 3 months old, left for Paris last Sunday. According to her Make-A-Wish itinerary, she's touring the fashion museum today, aka Musée de la Mode et du Textile. This comes after a professional makeup lesson at the Galeries Lafayette, being one of only 50 guests invited to preview "Coco Avante Chanel," a new film about Coco Chanel, discovering the Chanel boutiques of Paris and enjoying a private visit to the apartment Coco Chanel resided in until her death.

To celebrate the trip, the folks at Le Cordon Bleu opened their cafe for a special bon voyage party among family and friends. Caitlin sliced into a Chanel-themed cake and was presented with a vintage Chanel necklace from Garrett Bauman, co-owner of Annie Creamcheese.

"This stuff doesn't happen to us. We're just trying to keep our child alive," says Caitlin's mother, Jo-Ellen. "When she asked to go to Paris, I was like, 'Catie, get real. Maybe Paris, Kentucky.' "

Caitlin herself thought the wish was far-fetched, predicting she'd be granted a shopping spree at most, but figured she'd reach for the sky, anyway. After all, what's a wish if it's not far-fetched?

Right now her mother's worried about luggage. Not which shoes to take, but how they'll get all Caitlin's breathing machines through security. The Arbor View senior hooks up to them every morning and night to aid her breathing ability. Although her lungs don't function like a healthy teenager's, Caitlin doesn't let it stop her from living like a healthy teenager.

She played on her high school soccer team until her lungs forced her to quit. She works part time at Star Nursery and likes to hang out at friends' houses. In fact, one of her friend's fathers had no idea Caitlin had a serious illness until receiving an invitation to her Make-A-Wish bon voyage party.

"We just refuse to accept it," says Jo-Ellen. "Every time things go downhill, she comes right back."