And now, some good news: Family of Tilton girl who missed her wish trip making other wishes come true

TILTON — The past couple of years have been challenging, for sure, but there are always opportunities for positive change. That point was proven by one of the Lakes Region’s younger residents, Ellah Murray.

Ellah, born four years ago to parents Stephanie and Mike, was a premature baby. Her complications had her in and out of hospitals and operating rooms, and in her first three years, she endured 14 surgeries, survived brain bleeds and a coma. She was using a tracheotomy tube to breathe, and a feeding tube for nourishment.

The ordeal of keeping their daughter alive had taken all of her parents' time. They had never taken a family vacation, so getting the offer from Make-A-Wish for a trip to Walt Disney World Resort last year seemed like a dream come true. However, that dream was put on hold, where it still sits, due to the pandemic.

Though the parents understood, they said it was heartbreaking to hear the news. Still, Ellah’s indomitable spirit — she greets everyone with a smile — pulled them through.

At this time last year, Ellah was at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she spent 27 days, some of which in a coma, when she had part of her throat removed. That surgery meant she could have her trach tube removed. Since then, she’s seen her health slowly but surely improve, said her father.

They’ve also had a few chances to give Ellah a reason for all of her smiles. They attended the Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth benefit baseball game at the Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester, where she was selected to set off the post-game fireworks.

Next they went to see the Boston Red Sox take on, and defeat, the Baltimore Orioles. They purchased a family package, which included seats, hot dogs and soda, and a chance to run the bases after the game.

That last part was particularly attractive, Mike said, reporting that the line of children waiting to practice their home run trot went down the right field foul line and out of the field of play. To be sure that every kid got that chance, he said organizers were allowing a steady volume of future all-stars to step off home plate — that is, until it was Ellah’s turn.

“When they saw Ellah, they let her do it by herself,” Mike said. Ellah uses a walker, and the trip around the bases required some help from her dad. As she rounded the final corner, he said, it sounded like Big Papi had come out of retirement. “When me and Ellah turned third base and headed toward home, the fans that were still there started cheering and clapping for her, it was a great moment.”

It was the cherry on top of a string of great months for the Murray family. Ellah’s medical progress meant they could take her to in-state hospitals for her care, instead of specialized centers in Boston. She has gotten better at walking and achieving other developmental milestones, and now they can look to the future with their first child, when there were times when it was hard to think ahead more than a month.

“She’s definitely going to be behind, but she’ll catch up at some point,” Mike said. “There are definitely some good things happening.”