Learn more about how love, service, and even angels have helped this family of six find peace despite the possibility of losing a daughter and sister.
Customers who walked into Nate Wade Subaru on Jan. 23 may have felt like they were attending a Hawaiian luau — and they were. The local car dealership recently teamed up with the Make-A-Wish Foundation to surprise Leah Spencer, a 12-year-old from Orem, with the news that she and her family would be going to Hawaii. The Salt Lake City car dealership made the announcement by hosting a Hawaiian party, complete with Polynesian dancers and shaved ice.
The day was all about Leah, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis a few months before she turned 4. Leah is one of four girls born to Chris and Kirstin Spencer. Three of the Spencers' daughters have physical disabilities. However, noticeably absent in conversations with Kirstin Spencer are mentions of the challenges the family faces every day. Rather than focusing on the conditions her daughters have, she focuses on who her daughters are.
Spencer describes Leah as kind and nurturing, with a maternal instinct. Her mom also says Leah cannot be described without some mention of her love for horses.
Then there is Allison, the 10-year-old daughter Spencer refers to as “my crazy child.” She’s fearless. She is also the only daughter who does not have health difficulties.