That is exactly what Meg Ingram, a Huntsville native and University of Alabama student, encountered late last year. Even though she continued school and kept up hope, there was always that one big dream she figured wouldn't come true. It involved taking a trip.

After battling brain tumors and receiving chemotherapy and radiation over the course of months, one summer day last year Meg lay on her couch and thought about where her future would lead her.Noticing her dazed look, her father, Lance Ingram, asked what was bothering her. Her response was simply: "I'm gonna miss out on a lot of dreams," he recalled.

She'd always wanted to go to Egypt to see the Pyramid and Great Sphinx, she explained. "When she was in the second grade, she did a school project on sphinxes and pyramids, which sparked her fascination," said her father.

Knowing his daughter's time could be short, he began to plan a trip for them. By last September he began working with a travel agent, who coincidentally also had a husband dealing with chemotherapy and radiation.

After plans were ready, Meg's father surprised her one day by telling her he was taking her to Egypt in mid-November. She couldn't believe it - her lifelong dream was coming true.

The departure date finally arrived, and Meg and her father were off to Egypt. They flew from Huntsville to Washington, then Germany and finally - Cairo.

Different landscape

Meg and her father immediately noticed how drastically Egypt differed from Huntsville. The difference terrified Meg, her father recalled. She was ready to go back home.

She decided to stay and soon afterward Meg and her father met with the tour guides who would host them during their trip. They provided the guides with necessary documents to ensure that they knew about Meg's condition. Shortly after, the trip officially began.

They had a blast visiting museums, pyramids and other sights in different cities in Egypt, taking a night train through the Sahara to southern Egypt, and cruising down the Nile River for three days.

Meg's father recalls one of his favorite parts of the trip.

After staying in a very prestigious hotel for a night, he decided to order room service for breakfast the next morning. He woke up Meg and led her out to the balcony.

The sun wasn't shining on their balcony yet, so after wrapping Meg with blankets in the chill, he shared a meal with her.

Tears were coming from Meg's eyes.

"Daddy, I feel like a princess," he recalled her saying.

"My pet name for Meg since she was a little girl was Princess," Ingram recalled. "This reality of making her dream come true by visiting Egypt and making her feel like a princess was a great feeling."

The weeklong trip shortly came to an end, and with thousands of pictures and everlasting memories in tow, Meg and her father returned to Huntsville in late November. Shortly afterward, Meg's health began to fade.

"If we hadn't gone when we did, we may not have been able to go," he recalled. After battling brain tumors for more than a year, Meg passed away in February at the age of 21.

The memories of this trip will never leave her father. His genuine love and care for Meg lit up his voice as he recalled their trip, remembering how great of a time they had. "We want to thank the Huntsville community and The Huntsville Times for all of your love and support, and we to thank our neighbors and church family for their endless support," her father said.

Meg's dream trip lives on in the family's memory, and, they hope, will inspire others to never stop dreaming.

After all, some dreams do come true.