{"id":80159,"date":"2025-12-24T15:00:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T15:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/80159\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T15:00:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T15:00:07","slug":"9-year-old-york-county-girl-gets-nyc-trip-of-a-lifetime-daily-press","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/80159\/","title":{"rendered":"9-year-old York County girl gets NYC trip of a lifetime \u2013 Daily Press"},"content":{"rendered":"

YORK \u2014 Most nights, Rooney Rimmer struggles to sleep due to symptoms of a rare, incurable autoimmune disease that attacks healthy cells and causes muscle weakness, skin rashes, fatigue and anxiety.<\/p>\n

But for a week earlier this month, Rooney\u2019s insomnia was more about excitement and pure joy.<\/p>\n

Rooney, a 9-year-old York County resident, traveled to New York City for six days as a Make-A-Wish recipient, where the \u201cWicked\u201d superfan saw a live Broadway performance of the musical. She also had a surprise meeting with actress Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the central role of Glinda on stage.<\/p>\n

\"RooneyRooney poses with actress Kristin Chenowith, who originated the role of Glinda in “Wicked” on Broadway, in New York City. (Rimmer family)<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just crazy when I saw her,\u201d Rooney said. \u201cMy mind was over the moon. She hugged me and my hands were cold so she gave me her hand warmers. She was so amazing and nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Make-A-Wish Foundation pays for children with a critical illness \u2014 not necessarily terminal conditions \u2014 to enjoy customized experiences with loved ones. Rooney flew to New York in early December with her parents, Jeff and Megan Rimmer, and two of her four older siblings.<\/p>\n

Trip highlights included venturing backstage at \u201cWicked,\u201d ice skating at Rockefeller Center and going to Top of the Rock, shopping for Labubu collectible toys and Legos, swimming in a sprinkle pool at the Museum of Ice Cream, and visiting Times Square and Fifth Avenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was very pretty and very cold,\u201d Rooney said of the city. \u201cI loved it so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chenoweth snuck up beside Rooney at a national Build-A-Bear event at Rockefeller Center, where Rooney was the featured \u201cwish kid\u201d for sponsor Teleflora and did interviews with multiple media outlets.<\/p>\n

Together, the two made stuffed bears and taped a segment for \u201cAccess Hollywood.\u201d The actress also gave her young fan a \u201cWicked\u201d-themed makeup set from herself and Ariana Grande, who has starred as Glinda in recent movies.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis program gave her something so rare,\u201d Jeff Rimmer said. \u201cSpace to forget. Space to feel light and celebrated for who she is, not what she manages. Watching Rooney move through the week without fear in the background was emotional in a way that\u2019s hard to describe.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RooneyRooney Rimmer with her parents, Jeff and Megan, and siblings Jude, 16, and Lennon, 14, on the Broadway stage of “Wicked” in New York City. (Rimmer family)<\/p>\n

Rooney has juvenile dermatomyositis, or JDM, an immune system malfunction that can lead to life-threatening complications with the lungs, heart and other organs. Some kids grow so weak that they can\u2019t walk or even lift their arms.<\/p>\n

Doctors believe JDM is caused by a mix of genetic predisposition and environmental factors such as viral infections. Managing the illness requires a strict medication regimen and frequent doctors\u2019 appointments, blood tests and scans.<\/p>\n

While treatments currently have Rooney\u2019s disease under control, she has a form of JDM that is less likely to ever go into full remission. She likely will need medication and careful monitoring of her heart and lungs throughout her life.<\/p>\n

\"RooneyRooney got to ice skate in Rockefeller Center as part of her Make-A-Wish trip to New York City. (Rimmer family)<\/p>\n

A third-grader, Rooney loves drawing, dancing, acting, playing with her dogs and cats, experimenting with makeup, listening to 1990s grunge music and sharing her thoughts and journey on a podcast with her dad, called \u201crooneytune\u201d (linktr.ee\/rooneytune<\/a>).<\/p>\n

On a daily basis, however, Rooney deals with JDM symptoms \u2014 plus the fear that her condition will worsen. She limits her time in sunlight, which can trigger muscle pain and rashes, and tries to avoid cold and flu viruses that could overwhelm her weakened immune system.<\/p>\n

Rooney\u2019s parents have done their best to help her feel normal, not like a \u201csick kid,\u201d although she recently had to switch to online school after several years at Seaford Elementary. They describe her as funny, caring, polite, inquisitive, resilient and wise beyond her years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI told Rooney that everyone has something they have to deal with, and this is hers,\u201d Megan Rimmer said. \u201cShe has a great attitude about it all, but it\u2019s a lot. She\u2019s always hyper-aware of her body, which can cause her to be a bit of a worrier.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rimmers first noticed Rooney\u2019s flushed cheeks when she was 3 years old, followed by her bright red fingertips and what looked like scarring on her knuckles. Her pediatrician thought she had eczema, a common inflammatory skin condition.<\/p>\n

Once Rooney was about 6, kids at school had started to comment on her regular face rashes. A local dermatologist took one look and suspected JDM, which she had read about in textbooks but never seen in person. In October 2023, a skin biopsy confirmed the hunch.<\/p>\n

Further testing revealed core muscle damage that helped explain Rooney\u2019s small stature and slower speed on the athletic field compared to other children her age. She quickly started treatments that at times felt so scary she became physically ill.<\/p>\n

JDM is known in medical circles as an \u201corphan disease\u201d \u2014 one so rare that drug companies have little to no financial incentive to develop therapies. Rooney takes twice-daily doses of CellCept, a chemotherapy-like drug that aims to suppress her overactive immune system.<\/p>\n

Every six weeks, Rooney also needs 10- to 12-hour infusions of immune-boosting antibodies, or proteins, from healthy donors. She initially had to travel to Duke University Hospital, where she received specialty care, but now has treatments at home with a nurse who has become a trusted friend. Each time, she develops severe migraines for several days.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo much of her life requires strength and awareness that most kids never have to carry,\u201d Jeff Rimmer said. \u201cAs her parent, you spend a lot of time trying to protect her sense of normal, even when nothing about the situation feels normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RooneyRooney Rimmer talks with actress Kristin Chenoweth during her Make-A-Wish trip to New York City. (Rimmer family)<\/p>\n

The Rimmers, also parents to Taylor, 22; Carleigh, 20; Jude, 16; and Lennon, 14; jumped at the chance for Rooney to bask in red-carpet treatment from Make-A-Wish.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it meant seeing my child fully in the moment, joyful and unburdened,\u201d Jeff Rimmer noted. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t take anything away from her reality, but it gives her something powerful to carry back with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or, as Rooney put it, \u201cI was just so happy and touched. It was nice to have a week not to think about JDM.\u201d Chenoweth taking the time to see her, she added, \u201cmade me feel really special and I will never forget it.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the future, Rooney talks about possibly becoming a pediatric rheumatologist to help other children with autoimmune diseases \u2014 or, in typical 9-year-old fashion, just being \u201cfamous.\u201d Her week in NYC was a taste of the latter.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis experience meant everything to our family,\u201d Megan Rimmer said. \u201cRooney really felt special every single day of her wish.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alison Johnson, ajohnsondp@yahoo.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"YORK \u2014 Most nights, Rooney Rimmer struggles to sleep due to symptoms of a rare, incurable autoimmune disease…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":80160,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[2953,85,267,9,24,55,54,12,56,418,39725,39726,39727],"class_list":{"0":"post-80159","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-latest-headlines","10":"tag-local-news","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-new-york-city-headlines","14":"tag-new-york-city-news","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-ny","17":"tag-virginia","18":"tag-virginia-gazette","19":"tag-virginia-gazette-news","20":"tag-york-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=80159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80159\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/80160"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=80159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=80159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=80159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}