Teen queen makes 'dream come true'

  • Published
  • By Army Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample
  • American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  One child stood out above the rest of the nearly 100 children from military families and their parents packed into the room here on Capitol Hill on June 10.

They were here to meet teen actress and singer Hilary Duff. Alyssa Weishoff, 12, came as Ms. Duff's special guest. When the actress finally arrived after a three-hour flight delay from New York, it was Alyssa who received the first kiss and warm embrace.

Alyssa sat in a wheelchair, her head wrapped in a pink scarf to conceal her hair loss from treatment of a rare childhood cancer called rhabdomyosarcoma. Her family said Alyssa has fought the disease for a year and a half.

"All traditional methods of treatment have failed, so we have stopped treatment right now," said Alyssa's father, Fred Weishoff, a retired Air Force officer. "We're basically praying for a miracle."

And though the disease, which attacks the body's muscle cells, has ravaged her body, it has not affected her smile. So when Alyssa saw Ms. Duff, her face lit up, and she reached out to her.

For Alyssa, her family said meeting the actress was "a dream come true."

Alyssa claimed to be Ms. Duff's biggest fan. She said she still remembers the star's first 1998 box office movie, "Casper Meets Wendy."

She said she adores Ms. Duff because "she is a good, nice girl, and she's a good actress and a good singer, but most importantly, because (she) is a good role model."

Alyssa's mother, Lisa Weishoff, said that when she told her daughter she would get to meet Ms. Duff, she began crying.

"I've never seen her cry happy tears, ever," she said. "It was quite an emotional moment, a moment in her life she will never forget, a very memorable time for her."

Ms. Duff said meeting Alyssa "inspires me of how strong kids can be, and how they can still keep their spirits so bright.

"It's nice to meet them and see how I affect them, because they really affect me," Ms. Duff said. "I'm very thankful, and families like them are so strong. I pray for them, and I love them."

Meanwhile, Mr. Weishoff said that in a time of war, to have stars like Ms. Duff show their support of military families is "awesome."

"A lot of (celebrities) in the past have not supported the military as well as they should have," he said, "and I think it is awesome that someone in her position is doing something."

Ms. Duff came to Washington on behalf of the Armed Forces Foundation, a nonprofit organization started four years ago to support military families in need.

While here, Ms. Duff read a story to military children, signed autographs and took photos with them and their parents as part of the foundation's kickoff of its National Military Families Week which began June 12.