By LT Paige “SETO” Kelly
“Fearless, unstoppable, courageous, invincible, we’re human, unshakeable…”
Every Girl’s a Super Girl - Jojo Siwa
I lost count of the number of times Tabitha and I danced around her living room
listening and singing along to her favorite song, “Every Girl’s a Super Girl.” When
you ask her why it’s her favorite, she gives the same response every time. “It makes
me believe that I can do anything and everything.”
Tabitha is a seven-year-old girl who was diagnosed with a brain tumor when she
was five. During emergency surgery to relieve the pressure and swelling behind her
eyes, doctors discovered a tumor building on and around her brainstem. There was
nothing they could do at the time, so the tumor remained untouched for almost two
years. During that time, she underwent additional surgeries and extensive physical
and occupational therapy to get back what she had lost. Through all of it, she held
tight to her dream of growing up and flying one of the many airplanes in the United
States Navy. Every year, Tabitha attends the Cleveland Air show that always falls on
her birthday weekend and, every year, that dream of hers continues to grow.
This June, her mom called the local recruiting office in Cleveland Heights and
inquired about an honorary enlistment for Tabitha. The office happily obliged and
on June 26 th , Tabitha Nye was sworn into the United States Navy. Shortly thereafter,
Military Times published an article about the event and word began to spread about
a little girl fulfilling her dream while beginning the biggest battle of her life.
Insert me, a freshly minted Lieutenant, wandering around a hangar...probably
complaining about the O-4s, wondering how much the Ready Room’s jalapeño
popcorn was going to make me cough that day, and worrying about an upcoming
flight. All very important thoughts - until my Commanding Officer approached me
and my fellow Zapper, LCDR Kenneth “Kitty” Kapp with an idea. The Skipper had
just read about Tabitha and decided that we were going to do something about it.
Kitty and I were taking a jet to Cleveland, Ohio to see a little girl with a brain tumor.
From that moment, all we wanted to do was make this little girl happy and give her
an experience she will never forget. The Zapper Ready Room, Chiefs, and Sailors
compiled a seemingly endless supply of patches, shirts, hats, challenge coins, and a
signed poster. A local embroidery shop made Tabitha her own personalized Zapper
flight suit. For the final touch, Petty Officer First Class Andrew Schippers painted
Tabitha’s name on jet 503 in gold (the color for Childhood Cancer). At last, with bags
packed and gifts in hand, we fired up Tabitha’s jet headed for Cleveland.
Saturday morning, we met the Nye family and some of their friends at Cleveland
International Airport to show them the jet. At first, Tabitha was one of the shyest
kids there, but that quickly changed when we handed her her very own flight suit
and let her lead us out to the jet. Immediately she began to open up, her eyes shone,
and her face glowed with a smile that seemed to last the rest of the day as we let her
preflight the jet, look inside the cockpit, and try on our gear. The other kids joined in
but Tabitha was watching and hanging on every word Kitty and I said about the jet.
By the end, she could tell us everything we had explained to her and her family.
Later that afternoon the Nye family graciously hosted Kitty and I at their home for a
barbeque. This gave us a chance to visit, laugh, joke, and most heart-warming,
watch Tabitha act like any seven-year-old girl should act. She started playing all her
favorite music for me and as we danced together around her living room. Shortly
after the dance party, we all took her Grandpa’s ’64 Mustang Convertible out for a
ride with Tabitha and I in the backseat, sitting side by side, per her request. I looked
over at her during the ride, wind blowing through our hair, and saw the biggest
smile on her face. This little girl is absolutely in love with life and is shining so bright
with a happiness that’s contagious to everyone who meets her. Seeing that little
snapshot of unbridled joy was one of my fondest memories from the trip.
We all get caught up in this thing called Life, so much so that it’s easy to become
inured to the jobs we do on a daily basis. Spending time with Tabitha and her family
gave me the most eye-opening, “reality check” of my life. In her eyes, I became the
person she wants to be when she grows up. In her eyes, I became her hero. Flying in
a jet is something I have wanted to do since I was Tabitha’s age, but never once had I
imagined the impact I could have on a seven year old little girl battling a brain
tumor. As she walked up to hug me and say goodbye on Sunday, her eyes filling up
with tears, I was at a loss for words. What do you tell a child who is about to begin
the most difficult battle of her life? My thoughts reverted back to us dancing around
her living room to her favorite song, and her reminding us that it makes her believe
she can do anything and everything. I told her to never stop believing that.
Through this rewarding experience, I gained an unshakable confidence in the
organization I work for. The support this little girl has received from Navy units all
across the country, as well as from across the world would be unbelievable if I
hadn’t seen the proof with my own eyes. Tabitha has gained a hero and a friend, but
what she doesn’t know is that she has become my hero. Just like her favorite song,
she is fearless, unstoppable, and unshakable; she is a super girl. So keep fighting and
keep living your best life, Super Girl. The VAQ-130 Zappers and the entire United
States Navy have your back.
Lieutenant Paige “SETO” Kelly hails from northern Idaho. A graduate of the University
of Colorado, she earned her Wings of Gold at NAS Pensacola in February of 2017
before reporting to the Zappers of VAQ-130 as an Electronic Warfare Officer. She
enjoys hiking, mountain biking, trail running and snowboarding—suffice it to say she
loves Whidbey Island!
Great story Paige.