A wish come true......

by Dan Gordon

Athens kindergartner Gracey Browning came face-to-face with Jennifer Love Hewitt last Tuesday.

Gracey, age 6, is the daughter of Wes and Jan Browning and a student at Athens Christian Academy. For more than a year, she has suffered from juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), an autoimmune disorder which leads to severely weakened muscles throughout the body. The disease is life-threatening.

The disease, which has no known cure, is one of several disorders related to juvenile myositis. Altogether, they affect only about 5,000 children in the U.S.

Gracey began exhibiting symptoms in October 2005, around the time of her fifth birthday. She began monthly steroid I.V. treatments after being diagnosed at Scottish Rite Hospital for Children in Dallas in April 2006.

Gracey’s meeting with Hewitt was arranged by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Tyler. According to her parents, Gracey is an avid fan of “Ghost Whisperer” — a TV show starring Hewitt. Gracey’s favorite film is “The Audrey Hepburn Story,” in which Hewitt plays the title role.

The Brownings flew to Los Angeles last week. They stayed at the Sheraton Hotel in Universal City and spent three days touring the city with a representative from CBS television.

Gracey picked up a variety of autographs, photos, scripts and other Hollywood memorabilia at Universal Studios. Her status as a Make-A-Wish child also gave her special privileges, such as petting animals in a wildlife show after the rest of the audience had left.

“She got to do things most other people weren’t allowed to do,” Jan said. “I think Make-A-Wish did a fabulous job. They had everything planned.

“There was something to do every day.”

They met Hewitt on the set of “Ghost Whisperer” in Universal City. They visited with the star for 45 minutes, during which Gracey put lipstick on Hewitt with the help of a make-up artist.

“They talked about Ghost Whisperer a lot,” Jan said. “(Hewitt is) truly a genuine, kind person. She took time out of her work to meet us on our schedule.

“She’s an overall wonderful lady.”

Gracey also got to sit in on the shooting of a Ghost Whisperer episode. She was given a tour of the show’s sets — including the famed antique store — and got to meet show co-stars David Conrad and Camryn Manheim, as well as Curtis Armstrong, a guest star in the episode.

The episode, “The Walk-in,” is slated to air in the third week of February.

“The director had her say ‘action’ and ‘cut,’” Jan said. “She was just really excited to participate.

“The whole crew, the director, everyone went out of their way to make sure Gracey had a great time.”

The Brownings returned to Athens last Wednesday and got back into a familiar groove. Gracey began her latest round of I.V. treatments the next day.

But Jan said she thinks her daughter will hold on to her Hollywood memories for the rest of her life.

“The whole trip was wonderful. It was a great experience,” Jan said. “She loved meeting Jennifer Love Hewitt. She had a lot of fun.”

Story: © 2006 CNHI. All Rights Reserved.