Soldier surprises cancer-stricken sister with Disney World trip

PITTSBURGH, PA -- A cancer patient got a double surprise this weekend. First, she saw her brother who serves in the military. Then, she was told she's going to Disney World.

It was a sunny spring Saturday, and the Oakmont Bakery in Pittsburgh was packed.

Mary Pat Siess, 26, was hard at work behind the counter with no idea that her brother, who's stationed at Fort Bragg with the 82nd Airborne, was right next door.

"She has no idea I'm here," Specialist Robert Siess said. "So it will be a hell of a surprise for her."

Mary Pat is a new face among the staff. The avid baker has an aggressive form of leukemia, and she thought she was there to help bake a cake for a young child with cancer.

"Never heard her complain about it once," Robert Siess said. "Probably the toughest person I ever met in my life and. About time we did something for her."

So Robert surprised his sister with a family trip to Disney World.

Posing as a customer among the crowd, he zoomed in with the big news, and his sister greeted him with stunned silence. It took a few minutes for everything to sink in.

"I had no idea," she said, fighting back tears. "Everybody thought I knew, but I had no idea."

The elaborate day was orchestrated by Jamie's Dream Team, which helps make dreams come true for severely ill people.

"I thought I was baking a cake for a little girl with cancer," Mary Pat said. "I want to help others who have cancer. I know what it feels like to go through that, and i was more than happy to come bake a cake for a little girl."

Robert Siess said what Jamie's Dream Team has done for his family is unbelievable.

"There's no way we could ever thank them," he said. "The work they do is just amazing."

And Mary Pat wanted to make sure her work was done before she turned in her apron.

After a few photos, a sheriff's deputy readied the escort caravan, and it was off to the Most Magical Place on Earth.

"This is more than I expected," she said. "A lot more."

The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of Disney Parks and this ABC station.