MANKATO, Minn. — For a stretch last year, Jan Schaible didn’t think she’d ever be well enough again to travel.

Diagnosed with stage II colon cancer, she had eight inches of her organ removed in November 2015. Another surgery in February 2016 removed the colostomy put in place during the initial surgery.

The months between the two procedures were trying on her family. Schaible remembers barely feeling well enough to get to her appointments.

Through all those low-energy days, her daughter, Kim Friedrich, was by her side. A nurse in the Twin Cities, Friedrich took a leave of absence from work to care for her mother full time in Eagle Lake, near Mankato.

While her recovery was stalled in a nursing home, Schaible told the Mankato, Minnesota Free Press she wasn’t sure her health would improve enough to get out, let alone take a trip. But that didn’t stop her from making a wish to her daughter.

“She said one of her wishes if she got out was to return to South Padre Island and experience it one last time,” Friedrich said.

The Texas island is close to Schaible’s heart. She’d been there several times in the past with her husband, Tom, enjoying walks along the beach and the soothing sound of waves lapping against the shore.

Schaible’s health has slowly improved in the the last year. Recent blood work showed her cancer was in remission.

And her wish to return to South Padre was granted. Friedrich shared her mother’s story with Wish of a Lifetime, a Denver-based nonprofit organization that grant wishes to seniors.

Only about 200 wishes are granted every year, so Schaible figured her story was a longshot. Then, on her 57th wedding anniversary, her daughter came to her with good news.

“(Kim) said ‘Mom, I have another anniversary gift for you. We’re going to South Padre,’” Schaible said.

Wish of a Lifetime covered all expenses for the three-day trip in February. Friedrich said the vacation was filled with good food and, of course, walks along the coast.

“Mom kept telling me to close my eyes and listen to the waves,” she said.

A professional photo shoot was also set up to document their fun. The two hadn’t been to South Padre together, so they relished a chance to get away and reflect on the tough times they overcame together.

“She was always there for me,” Schaible said of her daughter. “She needed (the trip), and I needed it. It was a chance for us to be together.”

Despite her fears, Schaible said her newfound health held up during the trip. She credited not only her daughter, but also her husband and two sons, Kent and Scott, with motivating her through her difficulties a years ago.

“I’m back on track now,” she said. “You have to be pushed when you feel like that.”

Arola writes for the Mankato, Minnesota Free Press.