FORT PIERCE, FL (WPTV/CNN) - A Florida woman suffering from an aggressive form of lung cancer had one wish and the community stepped in to help.
Linda Young wanted to visit Disney World with her grandchildren, but she couldn’t afford it. Chris and Cory Gamble stepped in to make it all possible.
You don't normally choose your family, but this story is an exception.
“I tell everyone, Chris is my brother, Cory is my sister,” Young said.
It was a legal promise three years ago, a contingency plan, just in case.
Gamble has been Young’s supervisor at the Fairwinds Golf Course in St. Lucie County for 20 years.
They became friends and now they’re family.
"If it wasn't for Chris and Cory, I probably couldn't have adopted my kids." Young said.
That's because when Young took custody of her grandchildren three years ago, she had to find someone to agree to adopt them if something ever happened to her.
Gamble and his wife Cory Gamble stepped right up.
"We all started spending time together,” Cory Gamble said. “We spent holidays together and getting to know each other, so if something should happen, the transition would be easier than going with strangers."
Two months later, Young was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lung cancer.
"My baby wanted to go to Disney World and we wanted this to come true so that he go to Disney World, so it anything happened to me, he can say ‘I enjoyed Disney World with my grandma,’ " Young said.
Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce, FL, hosted a fundraiser to make the Disney trip happen.
" I'm going to whoop this. I’m not going to let it get the best of me. And I'm going to enjoy my kids and enjoy my boss and wherever I go I'm going to enjoy life,” Young said.
"If they do lose their grandma, it's going to be hard but we're going to do everything we can to make it as easy as possible," Cory Gamble said.
The fundraiser brought in about $7,000 for the trip and counting.
Young and her grandchildren will be headed to Disney World on Monday.
Copyright 2018 WPTV via CNN. All rights reserved.
