Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young princess named Annie who had bright red hair, a fiery personality and a royal spirit.
When Princess Annie was just 4 years old, she was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer. Even though she was fierce and strong, the young Princess felt uncertain. How would she be brave enough to fight something as big and scary as cancer?
Princess Annie and her family turned to Sanford Children’s Hospital in Sioux Falls for help. Here, they found more than hope and healing. They found a Castle of Care built by the generosity of an entire community. A place filled with magical spaces, areas to play and dream, and a kingdom of caregivers who were there every step of the way.
After a long journey, Princess Annie is now cancer free. Today, she and her family are sharing her story to inspire support for other local kids and families who will face a pediatric cancer diagnosis in the future.
An Unexpected Diagnosis
Bryce and Catherine McGee and their young children had just returned home to Sioux Falls from a family vacation when their 4-year-old daughter, Annie, began complaining of stomach pains and developed a fever.
“We also noticed some incontinence, which was unusual because Annie was pretty well potty trained at that point,” Bryce said.
After a visit to their clinic, Annie’s fever persisted. From there, Catherine brought her to the Emergency Department at the Sanford USD Medical Center.
“They did an ultrasound first, which revealed a vascular mass. Then they did a CT scan. Then they told me she had cancer,” Catherine said. “I called my husband and told him to come. From there the doctor went through everything with us.”
Annie’s official diagnosis was Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer that impacts about 600 kids throughout the U.S. each year, according to the American Cancer Society.
While Annie’s case was complicated due to the size of the tumor and because the cancer had also spread to her lungs, Bryce and Catherine said it didn’t take long for a plan of action to come together.
“We were in the Emergency Department that evening. That same night, the surgeon came in, saw the diagnosis and walked into our room at midnight to talk with us about a plan. That doesn’t happen everywhere. I really appreciated that,” Bryce said.
Magic Makes the Journey Easier
From the Emergency Department, Annie was moved to Sanford Children’s Hospital where, her parents said, she fell in love with the magic of the Castle of Care.
“The first time Annie walked through the front door, she saw a suit of armor and all these flags that made her think of ‘Frozen,’ which was her favorite movie. There were decorations in all the rooms and fairy doors she loved to find. It was like her own playground. And everyone treated her like a princess. She loved it,” Catherine said.
After Annie’s arrival, her care team developed a plan to treat her cancer.
“Annie’s tumor was so large that her doctors were nervous about removing it. There was concern it could rupture and she could bleed out. Our oncology team was talking with the team at Mayo Clinic to determine which, if any, team could remove it. And could they do it safely,” Bryce said. “There were no egos involved — everyone was just focused on Annie.”
“The plan was to do chemo to try to shrink the tumor, then do surgery, then more chemo. Thankfully, the plan worked exactly as intended,” he said.
A Kingdom of Caregivers
Beyond the expert physicians and caregivers treating Annie’s cancer, Bryce and Catherine said the team of child life specialists at Sanford Children’s Hospital played an essential role in helping Annie and the entire family navigate the journey.
“Annie would not have been cooperative with virtually any of the procedures she had to go through without her child life specialists,” Catherine said. “She’s always been a spitfire. But over the last year, she’s become more tentative and hesitant. Without the child life specialists to help her, the process of getting an IV, getting an NG tube, getting a chest tube and all the other different procedures she had would have been very difficult. The child life specialists were able to distract her and make her comfortable.”
Moments of magic helped, too.
“As Annie began to lose her hair, she got a pixie haircut to make the transition easier. She loved it because she said she felt like Tinkerbell. She wore her Tinkerbell costume for a week afterwards,” Bryce said.
Beyond making Annie more comfortable, Bryce and Catherine said the child life team also helped with their other children.
“It was hard to know how to talk to our other kids about Annie’s diagnosis,” Bryce said. “We got a lot of support on the best way to approach that. We didn’t want to hide anything, but we didn’t want to burden them either.”
The McGees said the child life team gave them the words they needed to share Annie’s condition with their other kids. They also took time to talk with Annie’s siblings in a way that was understandable for them.
“At Sanford, it was amazing how much everyone seemed to actually care about not just Annie, but our whole family. They spent a lot of time with us to make sure everyone was taken care of,” Catherine said.
“We had so much help for every aspect of the experience,” Bryce said. “That gave us so much more mental space to focus on Annie and helping our other kids.”
For the McGees, having the Castle of Care close to home felt like a blessing.
“We would talk with families in the waiting room who were driving six or more hours to get here for treatment,” Catherine said. “We felt so lucky to have this level of care so close to home.”
Hearts of Gratitude
In March 2026, Bryce and Catherine heard the words they were waiting for: Annie was cancer free.
As they reflect on the experience, the McGees are not only grateful for Annie’s medical care, they’re also grateful to local donors whose gifts make Castle’s magic possible.
“The best way to help kids and families going through something like this is to donate to Children’s Miracle Network,” said Catherine. “Doing so will give other kids all the resources Annie had during her journey.”
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We’ve gotten so much good care from so many people, I struggle with how to show our appreciation. Words aren’t enough. But supporting the cause is a great way to do it — helping other families going through this.
Annie’s Dad
Give for Hope
This year across our region, dozens of kids like Annie and their families will face the heartbreak and pain of a childhood cancer diagnosis. With your support, we can surround these kids and families with everything they need, every step of the way. 100% of your gift will support vital programs and services like these:
- Child life, school tutoring and spiritual care — all provided at no cost to families
- Financial assistance to help families with meals, mileage, lodging and other costs not covered by insurance
- Equipment just for kids like a CT scanner decorated like an undersea adventure and Freddie, a cheerful firetruck who doubles as a portable X-ray machine
- Child-sized chemotherapy chairs, playrooms filled with toys and books and more