Young cancer patient pampered with makeover, photo shoot

Four-year-old Carli Highberger has always dreamed of being a princess, but the fantasy faded this summer when her shoulder-length blonde locks started falling out in clumps.

Even with a trim to hide the hair loss, the young cancer patient from Lombard didn’t think she could be royalty anymore. So she asked to shave her head and her parents agreed.

“Having her hair cut short is not what a princess has,” said her mother, Andrea Highberger.

But a non-profit organization was determined to make her dream come true. Carli, along with her parents and 6-year-old brother Ethan, were treated to a complimentary makeover and a black-and-white photo shoot Oct. 11 by Flashes of Hope Photography at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

Carli Highberger and her brother Ethan pose for a photo. (Proto provided by Ann Latinovich Photography)

With the help of some light blush, purple lip gloss and her trusty purple princess hat, Carli resembled a modern-day Cinderella as she posed for portraits and played with her brother. A team of makeup artists and a photographer also pampered and shot photos of other cancer patients and their families for free that day.

Carli was diagnosed with lymphoblastic lymphoma in July after her family noticed she had a swollen face and neck. Within days, she began intense chemotherapy treatments that made her weak, and later caused her hair to become unhealthy and fall out.

The young girl handled the news well, her parents said.

In the beginning, Carli could barely move because she was hooked up to so many monitors. A picture book helped explain how blood transfusions, ports and medication will help. It eased her fears.

“She didn’t even cry,” her mother said. “I had more tears than she did.”

Now in her second phase of treatment, Carli visits the Park Ridge-based hospital once a week for chemotherapy. The bubbly child shuts down when she nears the clinic in the Children’s Hospital, often because she dreads the cancer-fighting process.

Carli has about two years left of treatment and doctors are optimistic the bad blood cells will disappear, family said. So far, the cancerous mass  found inside her body has shrunk and is no longer visible. Though her parents worry she might relapse, they try and make her life as routine as possible.

Some days she sings and dances but at times she feels different knowing she has cancer.

“I think she’s anxious to be normal,” said her mother. “I think she feels different and she’s anxious to not feel different anymore.”