Teen's Make-A-Wish meeting with Dolly Parton left a lasting mark on her family

STAR, Idaho — For the Young family of Star, Dolly Parton was never just a country music star. She was a role model. A constant in their lives. And eventually — a Make-A-Wish dream come true.

Kristi Young said Dolly Parton's music was woven into the family from the very beginning.

"All the kids were born to Dolly Parton music. It was the first sound they ever heard in the world," Kristi said.

Her daughter Faith, now 15, laughed, recalling the detail.

"There was just Dolly Parton playing in the delivery room apparently," Faith said.

"There was!" Kristi said.

Faith said Dolly taught her something she carries with her every day.

"To be kind and treat others respectfully," Faith said.

Kristi said Dolly's outlook on faith and kindness shaped the way their family moves through the world.

"She's taught us to live our faith, but don't make others feel uncomfortable if they, you know, don't maybe share it. Leave the judging the Lord and live your faith," Kristi said.

Inside their Star home, years of memories fill a Dolly Parton scrapbook that Kristi gave Faith as a surprise on her 11th birthday — along with a trip to Dollywood. The first half of the scrapbook is filled with memorabilia the family collected over the years. The second half documents their journey to meet Dolly. Each page tells the story of a family who grew up admiring Dolly's music, kindness, and message. Kristi said Dolly's belief that you can be anything and dream big was another lesson that stuck.

Kristi said Dolly's words carried a particular weight for Faith.

"When Dolly says that you can dream more and you can do anything and you can be anything, those are words that mean something to Faith, like she just took it to heart, like this person's talking to me. Just to me," Kristi said.

In 2022, the family's life changed after Faith was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. Kristi said the family had spent years believing Faith had cerebral palsy before further testing during her teenage years led to a new diagnosis.

"Faith has a rare genetic disorder, and it's a neuromuscular progressive condition, so it is life-impacting and limiting, and so we qualify for wish through that," Kristi said.

Kristi said qualifying for Make-A-Wish came with complicated emotions.

"You want your child to have everything they ever dreamed of, but the reality of qualifying is pretty hard one," Kristi said.

Through Make-A-Wish, Faith had the opportunity to choose one special experience. The family talked through the options — a puppy, backstage passes for other artists — but one wish stood apart. Dolly was not touring, which meant getting to meet her would require something special.

"What's the one thing you can never do?" Kristi recalled asking her daughter.

"Dolly Parton," Faith said.

The family joined the waitlist and kept busy in the meantime — participating in polar plunge fundraising for Make-A-Wish and staying connected to the community. When the call finally came, it arrived earlier than expected. Kristi said she found out about the wish about two weeks before telling Faith, keeping the secret until the 30-day mark so the family could do a countdown.

Because celebrity wishes do not follow a traditional planning timeline, the family had told their employers upfront that when Dolly called, they would go. Dolly's team kept details tightly guarded — the family did not receive their itinerary until about 30 hours before they were set to meet her.

"They don't tell anyone where Dolly is gonna be at any given moment ever," Kristi said.

Kristi said Dolly was known for keeping her Make-A-Wish visits quiet, not wanting the publicity for herself.

"Dolly always kept it very quiet. She didn't want the PR from Make-A-Wish. She wanted it to just be the kid. She was famous for saying keep a little bit back for yourself, something her mother had taught her, and so she just wanted that for the kids," Kristi said.

The morning of the meeting, the family enjoyed a breakfast buffet before heading to meet Dolly. When they arrived, Dolly did group wishes so she never had to turn a child down. The Young family was there alongside three other families, each seated at a table with activities while Dolly worked her way around to visit with each family.

When Dolly walked into the room, Kristi said the energy shifted immediately.

"It was a very busy room. And increasing security, increasing and increasing, and then she walks in and all of the air just felt so much lighter. And she said, well, hello there. And her big voice, and immediately it was just joy," Kristi said.

Before the visit, when the family found out the wish was going to be granted, Faith thought of bringing Dolly flowers. They picked up a vase of yellow, pink, and red roses from Star's local Albertson's. Faith explained that yellow and white are Dolly's two favorite colors — yellow makes her happy and white makes her calm.

Faith had one specific hope for the visit — to play her fingernails and sing with Dolly. She got exactly that. Before the trip, the family visited a nail salon so Faith could have her "9 to 5" nail moment ready.

"We got to sing with Dolly because Faith had never been able to see a Dolly Parton concert. She wasn't touring anymore and it was our little private concert," Kristi said.

Kristi said Dolly's kindness extended to every child in the room. At one point, Dolly let a child with visual impairments feel her buttons, pins, and hair.

Faith said the experience confirmed everything she had believed about Dolly.

"When I sang with her, like, there wasn't auto-tune or anything. It was all real voice," Faith said.

Related topics