Woman’s dying wish fulfilled in Las Vegas, meets sister for first time

Gracie Buser likes to keep it simple. She enjoys horses and dressing comfortably, and she likes to see the twinkling lights of Las Vegas. She doesn’t need much.

“I’m just a jeans and a T-shirt kind of girl,” she said.

She’s been that way her entire life, but she is making an exception this weekend. On Thursday, she wore a sundress and red lipstick. She rode a limo to her hotel, and she’s staying in a VIP villa.

It’s a little too extravagant, and it’s making her feel a bit uneasy. Her family insists she deserves it.

All of the free buffets, limo rides and butler-delivered Starbucks drinks she’s receiving during her three-night stay are only dressing up the real reason Buser came to town from her ranch near Wells in northeastern Nevada.

The 50-year-old finally gets to see her sister for the first time. It also might be her last.

Buser has stage 4 breast cancer, a diagnosis she received almost exactly three years ago. She battled back from cervical cancer once before, but doctors caught her illness too late this time, and it has spread.

Cindy Macias, 61, paced in front of a taxi stand Thursday with a bouquet of flowers in her hand as she awaited her sister’s arrival at Red Rock Resort. When the limo door opened, Macias grabbed her sister’s purse, and the two shared a long embrace. After helping Buser get to a wheelchair, Macias handed her sister the bouquet.

“You look beautiful,” Macias told her sister.

When they got to their 3,000-square-foot villa, the sisters sat side by side on the sectional and instantly started talking about their father, who was in an out of their lives before his death in 2009.

“I can’t wait to show you pictures,” Buser told Macias.

The two would stay in the same spot for hours, engaged in conversation.

As their story developed, their frustration over their father grew. Both women referred to him by his first name, Jorge.

Buser had always known about Macias. Jorge would mention her frequently, but he always had some excuse for why the two sisters couldn’t meet.

It wasn’t until about five years ago that Buser reached out to Macias on Facebook. The relationship got off to a slow start, with only a few messages exchanged.

“That was on my part,” Macias said. “Mostly, I was afraid.”

And then Macias stumbled upon her sister’s GoFundMe page. She reached out in January 2015 to offer any help she could, and the two have stayed in touch.

Buser’s doctor warned her that the aggressive cancer would kill her quickly. A few months ago, her doctor told her she only had nine months left and encouraged her to get her affairs in order.

“When they’re telling you that, it feels like they’re talking to somebody else,” Buser said.

Her doctor mentioned Dream Foundation, a nonprofit organization that grants terminally ill adults their dying wish. Buser knew exactly what she wanted to do.

“The only dream I can think of is I want to meet my sister,” she said.

And with an estimated six months left to live, Buser is living that dream out. Dream Foundation and Red Rock Resort provided a free backdrop of extravagance for the family reunion all weekend. Buser said the frills were unnecessary but appreciated.

Knowing she doesn’t have much time awakened the need for closure, Buser said.

“You draw very close to your family, you know, as much as possible,” she said. “And so that’s why this trip is so, so important.”

Buser and Macias also met with their brother, 61-year-old Jose Lozano, on Friday. All of the siblings share Jorge as a father but have different mothers.

Lozano and Buser had connected online years ago.

“I was a little surprised, but I had been expecting someone to contact me,” Lozano said.

After Buser learned of her diagnosis, Lozano drove to Salt Lake City to meet her in the hospital. Before this weekend, Macias had never met her brother.

Buser’s husband, Dave Buser, joined the trip but stayed behind the scenes while the siblings got to know each other. He said the weekend was all about his wife enjoying the spotlight. The two have been married since 2011.

Dave Buser is a large, boisterous man with a thick mustache. He’s quick to crack a joke to make his wife laugh, and he makes it a point to show strength when they’re together.

“You don’t marry someone just for the good stuff,” he said.

When Gracie Buser returns from her trip, a hospice care provider will start making home visits.

But for the terminally ill woman, this weekend is about fulfilling the basic human needs of connecting with family, loving and being loved. It’s about getting the opportunity to say hello and goodbye. It’s about reflecting on her legacy.

She wants people to know that she is strong, that she cares deeply, and that she doesn’t want to be forgotten.

“I’ve just tried to be a good person my whole life,” she said, fighting back tears. “And so that’s really important for me to be remembered.”

Contact Blake Apgar at bapgar@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Find @BlakeApgarLV on Twitter.