Teen gets 'Make a Wish' fashion show

NEW YORK

This is a good week for Katherine Gil.

She turned 14, started high school, and is showing her designs in fashion week.

It's pretty remarkable considering she's just finished chemotherapy for leukemia at Montefiore Hospital.

Dressing up in the hospital helped pass the time.

"Yeah it made me feel pretty even though I didn't have my hair, it still made me feel good," Gil said.

When "Make a Wish" in metro New York offered Katherine a chance to have a wish granted, she wished to be a fashion designer.

"I'd have my mom buy me lots of clothes when I was in the hospital, and every day when I got bored I'd change out of my PJs and wear something nice," Gil said.

Meanwhile, the designer Danilo Gabrielli had just approached "Make a Wish" offering to help someone's design dreams come true.

The timing was perfect, and Danilo headed to the hospital to meet Katherine.

"She took me by surprise, she's very good," Gabrielli said.

So good, he decided he wouldn't just bring her designs to life; he's including them in his runway show Wednesday night.

Model Ashley Vasicek will wear two of Katherine's designs, including a blue sequin dress.

"I think I had tears in my eyes when they told me that seeing the light she brings every day, and she's just been an inspiration to me," Vasicek said.

And Danilo is thrilled to be giving back and giving a teenager from the Bronx a star turn.

"I know where she's sitting and I'm going to grab her and take her with me on the stage for her to experience this amazing wish that come true," Gabrielli said.

The show begins at 9:30 p.m. and is part of Nolcha Fashion Week at Pier 59 in Manhattan.

Katherine's wish is the 10,000th wish granted by the local "Make a Wish" foundation.

Copyright © 2024 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.